


Stick with Me

by VulpesVulpes713



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Angst, Blossoming Romance, Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Headcanon, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, Klance Fluff Week 2017, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not slowburn, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Same universe, Voltron, Voltron Fluff, are not to be touched, but they take their time, coming to terms with feelings, forced to work together, klance, klance angst, klance fluff, learning to love, mysterious space flowers, stuck together, vld, voltron legendary defenders - Freeform, wingman coran, wingman hunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-10-29 20:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10861875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713
Summary: In which Lance makes the mistake of touching a plant he knows nothing about, resulting in a rather 'sticky' situation for him and Keith.EDIT:Now with art bysleepy-moans





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on @marmoraskeith's text post about Lance and Keith getting their hands stuck together after a run-in with a sticky plant. 
> 
> It was too good not to write :)
> 
> See the post here: (http://marmoraskeith.tumblr.com/post/154746934271/give-me-a-voltron-episode-where-theyre-all-on-a)  
> My [tumblr](http://vulpes--vulpes.tumblr.com/)

_ Note to self: when on a strange planet, do not touch any of the plants, no matter how cool they look. _

 

Lance made the mental note as he and the rest of the team made their way back onto the ship. He was surprised he could even formulate a proper thought, considering the amount of commotion going on. Hunk was rambling worriedly to Coran, who was doing his best to comfort the yellow paladin. Allura was lecturing him on god knows what, hands flying angrily as she marched on ahead of them. Shiro was silent, which was terrifying, and Pidge hadn’t stopped laughing since the incident.

 

The incident that had left his and Keith’s hands glued together. 

 

Lance had been actively avoiding making eye contact with him after discovering the full extent of their situation, but he could feel the red paladin’s gaze burning holes in the back of his head. 

 

Not that Lance could really blame him. Everything had happened so quickly, but Lance was able to recall the general details:

Strange planet, new sights, growing excitement, oh look flowers! Touching flowers. Flower oozes gross goo on hand. Keith is nearby...cue the music. 

 

It was meant to be harmless prank, something he used to do to his siblings back on earth. It was a rule really: the nearest person became a towel when something slimy, sticky, or gross got on you. Keith didn’t know about that rule apparently, and his reflexes had kicked in as Lance approached; right hand outstretched tauntingly and dripping in violet goop. He hadn’t known Keith would grab at it. 

He figured he would have just run away, like normal people.

 

Long story short, Lance’s hand was now firmly secured in Keith’s, and no amount of shoving, kicking, pushing or pulling had done the trick. Lance had been giggling the whole time, finding the whole situation rather hilarious, until he realized that his hand was thoroughly stuck. 

 

And Keith was on the other end. 

 

And he was livid.

 

Lance had never heard anyone curse so extravagantly, and was mildly offended that Keith would even consider using such colourful language around the rest of the team, particularly Allura. She  _ was _ a princess afterall, but chivalry was not a term in the red paladin’s vocabulary apparently. 

 

He was currently going off about how stupid Lance was, and how they should have known he would fuck things up. It was harsh, and in hindsight it really hadn’t been one of his prouder moments, but Lance felt he wasn’t entirely to blame.

 

The flower had seemed harmless enough, but who could have known it would have the effects it did?

 

Well, besides Allura.

 

And maybe Coran…

 

They had mentioned something along the lines of ‘don’t touch anything’ and ‘could be dangerous’, but Lance hadn’t been concerned at the time. That warning had pretty much become a greeting to him, with nearly every member of the team having uttered it in his direction at one point or another, usually whenever they travelled to a new place. Only the mice had minded their own business.

 

So no, he hadn’t really listened, and the more he thought about it, the more he found himself agreeing with the others. Maybe this whole mess was his fault. The team would undoubtedly agree, especially Keith, who had given up his rant and was now glaring daggers at him as Allura paced the floor. He should apologize; admit that he was wrong and should have listened to their warning. 

 

But flowers? Really? How was he supposed to know his whole day would be ruined just by touching one of the pretty purple petals of one of the nearby plants. How could something so beautiful betray him in such a way?

 

Lance swallowed down the memories of Nyma and the mermaids, knowing that argument wouldn’t stand with the others, instead choosing to sit in relative silence and let the rest of the team do the talking.

 

“-tell you every time we go somewhere, but you never listen! Why don’t you listen!” Allura didn’t stop to let him reply, shaking her head as she wore a hole in the floor. It would have been amusing had her anger not been directed towards him. It was bad enough having Shiro sitting at the head of the table with his head in his hands, reminding Lance of the time he got caught sneaking out and his dad burdened him with the ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’ speech. 

 

He shivered at the memory.

 

“No need to worry Princess,” Coran started, hand pausing momentarily from scanning the extensive database on the ship, looking for some sort of remedy. “We should have something on the plant in our histories somewhere. I remember the time my great uncle had a run in with a similar dreaded weed-”

 

“Coran, please,” Allura had finally stopped, and was sinking into a chair near Shiro. She sighed heavily, staring from Lance to Keith then down at their hands, where a thick, purple ooze was seeping out from between their entwined fingers. He tried not to think about if the warmth in his palms was from the substance or Keith, not entirely sure how to feel about either. 

 

It could have been much worse honestly. At least it was only their hands glued together. Hands were manageable, and besides, Coran would have a solution in no time.

 

“What if it solidifies past the point of no return!” Hunk was still rambling, drumming his fingers against the tabletop nervously. “What if they get stuck like that forever!” 

 

“We won’t-” Lance started, but Keith interrupted before he could finish.

 

“What if we get attacked and we can’t form Voltron.” 

 

Hunk fell silent, and Allura’s head shot up, panic clearly visible on her face.

 

“I hadn’t thought of that,” she whispered to herself, eyes staring ahead unblinkingly. Even Shiro looked concerned, his eyebrows furrowing together in thought.

 

“We’ll fix this problem before it comes to that Princess,” he reassured her, but Allura didn’t seem to hear, and went to join Coran at the screens. Shiro turned his attention back on Lance, who gulped visibly. 

 

“We will solve this,” he stated, “but if something should happen and we need Voltron…” he trailed off, eyes focusing on his and Keith’s entwined fingers, then shifting to his own robotic arm. Lance clued in before Keith did.

 

“Oh no,” he started, making to stand but being held down by the solid weight of Keith. “No no no no, you can’t possibly mean that!” 

 

Keith was staring between them, eyebrows lowered in a frown.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Hunk replied before Lance got the chance.

 

“You would cut off their hands to form Voltron!? That’s harsh Shiro!” he moved to stand behind Lance, and though the gesture was kind enough, the panic in Lance’s gut was nowhere near quelled. 

 

“I didn’t say I would,” Shiro began, but Keith stood abruptly, dragging Lance up with him.

 

“Hey-”

 

“You will,” he commanded. “If we need Voltron and Lance and I are still stuck like this,” he held up their hands in emphasis, “then do it. I don’t care.”

 

“Well I do!” Lance made to grab his hand back, momentarily forgetting it was attached to Keith, and ended up pulling the boy into his side. Lance would have blushed if they hadn’t just been talking about cutting off his hand in favour of forming a giant robot.

 

Keith shoved off of him roughly, and Lance stumbled backwards into Hunk.

 

“You should have thought about that before you went and ruined everything!” he yelled, face red with anger, or maybe something else, but Lance didn’t dare ask. The last thing he needed was to tease Keith about blushing when he had no means of escape. 

 

“It’ll be fine Lance,” Pidge piped up for the first time, scanning her own data on her laptop on the ground. “I can make you a cool robot hand.”

 

Lance paled.

 

“I like my hand the way it is! Or did, but now Keith is ruining it.” 

 

“You think I enjoy being this close to you?” the red paladin shot back, and Lance couldn’t help himself.

 

“Who wouldn’t?” he winked. “But how about we just cut off your glove?”

 

“No way.”

 

“What! You’re ready to cut off your own hand but won’t risk your stupid gloves? They aren’t even real! The fingers are missing!” 

 

Lance made to grab at Keith’s glove with his free hand and was roughly shoved aside as the other boy tried to yank it away, subsequently bringing Lance along with him.  Hunk interfered before things got too far, grabbing hold of the blue paladin to steady him. Keith was holding his hand, and therefore Lance’s, close to his chest protectively.

 

“Woah, hey calm down,” Hunk warned, and Keith relented after a moment. Shiro had moved and was now standing by his side, one hand on the darker haired boy’s shoulder reassuringly.

 

“Listen, it was just a thought. Last resort. There’s no need to cut off anything yet. Besides,” he gestured to the purple mess bonding them together, “the goo is all over the glove as well. It would do no good.”

 

Keith grumbled something that Lance didn’t quite hear, but was sure it hadn’t been anything positive. Shiro went on.

 

“We will find a way to free you two, but in the meantime, you’re going to have to get along.” He raised an eyebrow at them in a ‘am I making myself clear’ sort of way. Lance was again reminded of his own father, and nodded, biting back a retort. 

 

“How am I supposed to get along with Sir-never-shuts-up?” Keith argued, and Lance stuck his tongue out at him.

 

“Deal with it mullet, we’re going to be best buddies at the end of this, just wait and see.” 

 

“Doubt it,” Keith mumbled back, and Lance smirked.

 

“Actually, I think I have to pee…”

 

Keith’s eye widened in horror as he looked over at Shiro.

 

“Please Shiro, kill me.”

 

The black paladin chuckled at that, and Lance felt a wave of relief wash over him. If Shiro was able to laugh at this whole thing then maybe it wasn’t so bad. With Allura, Coran, and Pidge on the case, he had nothing to worry about. 

 

It was only a matter of time.

 

***

 

“What do you mean you didn’t find anything!?”

 

Keith was sitting as far away from Lance as his arm would allow him, which wasn’t nearly as far as he wanted. He had already been inconvenienced enough with the lankier paladin literally stuck to him for the past few hours, and had made every effort to try and dislodge his hand from the gooey substance that bound them together. He wasn’t keen on how dark it was getting, like drying glue, and the last thing he wanted to hear was Coran apologizing. 

 

“We  _ have  _ to keep looking! I can’t live like this!”

 

“I’m sorry Keith,” Allura replied, dark circles forming under her eyes from relentlessly searching for a remedy all day. Keith felt a pang of guilt as she moved to sit beside Shiro on the couch. 

 

“We’ve searched every archive on the ship. Pidge double checked, and Coran even translated some of the more ancient texts.”

 

“There has to be something,” Lance mumbled quietly, and Keith glanced over at him. The blue paladin had become unusually silent after lunch came and went, with no new information on the plant and it’s goo. Keith almost felt bad for him, knowing that he was blaming himself for this mess. Which he was right to do, since it was, entirely and completely, his fault. 

Besides, why should Keith have pity on him when he was the poor sucker attached to his hand? 

 

No way. Hunk could coddle Lance as much as he wanted, but Keith was still pissed. 

 

“There is,” Coran replied, having heard Lance despite how softly he had spoken. “We just have yet to find it.”

 

“And we will find it,” Shiro reassured them, placing a hand on Allura’s back gently. Keith would tease him about that later. Once he was free of Lance and finished properly strangling him. 

 

“But for now,” Shiro continued, “it’s late, and we could all use some sleep.” 

 

Keith’s eyes widened in shock as he processed those words. 

Sleep.

 

That meant-

 

“Lance and Keith have to sleep together oh my god!” 

 

Everyone turned to stare at Pidge, who was laughing so hard that no sound came out of her mouth. Her laptop had slipped off her knees and was lying sideways on the floor. Keith had never seen her look so disheveled, which was saying something, since Pidge was constantly staying up past the late hours of the night. She must be exhausted to not be worried about her computer, or else the persistent research into flowers had finally driven her over the edge.

 

“That is the funniest shit ever!” she managed between wheezes, wiping tears from her eyes. “Finally!” 

 

Shiro’s brow furrowed in concern as he stood to help her up, obviously thinking the same thing as Keith: Pidge was severely overtired. 

 

“It’s time for bed,” he said, and she allowed herself to be guided from the room, body trembling with laughter. 

 

“That was,” Allura began.

  
“Concerning?” Hunk offered, and the princess nodded gravely.

 

“We’re all a bit tired,” she said, standing. She turned to Lance and Keith before exiting the room. “I assure you both though, this is only temporary. I’ll have Coran adjust the bed in one of your rooms for the night, so you can sleep more comfortably.”

 

Keith groaned internally. This was the worst. Sure, he could handle being stuck to Lance for the day. He could stand the bad jokes and obnoxious humour and relentless flirting, though the latter took some effort, but this?

 

He wasn’t so sure he could do this.

 

“So…” Lance began, looking over at him with a sly smile. “Sleepover at my place?”

 

Nope. 

No way. 

He was going to die.

 

“I hate you so much right now,” he said instead, hoping the statement would bode true if he said it out loud. As it was Keith had been trying to come to terms with how he felt about the blue paladin for a while now. Lance insisted they were rivals, and Keith went along with that for the most part, but he was sure they were at least friends.

 

Maybe good acquaintances? It was hard to tell with Lance, who was constantly picking fights with him whenever he got the chance. 

Still, there were times where they got along well enough. Hell, sometimes even better than well. Keith couldn’t have imagined their bonding moment, despite Lance’s convenient memory loss, and hadn’t they been working better together over the past few weeks? 

 

Then there were the times where Keith found himself focusing on the blue paladin a little more frequently than the others. He started noticing little quirks in his mannerisms; small changes in his behaviour depending on who was in the room. It was annoying how much of Lance he noticed, especially considering how much of a pain in the ass he was to be around. 

 

But regardless of what he said, Keith didn’t hate Lance;  _ couldn’t _ hate Lance. In fact it was quite the opposite, or at least, that’s what he had begun to realize prior to the hold hand incident.

 

Now he wasn’t so sure.

 

“You’ll change your mind after tonight,” Lance went on, throwing in a wink for good measure, and Keith felt his cheeks heat. He knew Lance was just teasing him, trying to lighten the mood, but that taunt hit a little too close to home.

 

His thoughts must have been betrayed by his face, since Hunk hastily intervened. 

 

“Listen, if you guys want I can sleep in the same room too, so it’s not weird or anything.” 

 

Keith had never been more grateful to anyone. He was about to reply with ‘yes! Please! Don’t leave me alone with Lance and my unknown feelings towards him for an entire night!’ but Coran didn’t give him the chance.

 

“That’s a kind offer Hunk, but there’s a protocol on this ship to have a maximum of two people in each sleeping chamber, for emergency purposes. If the sleeping quarters should be attacked we wouldn’t want three paladins hit with one stone, so to speak.”

 

Keith didn’t know the withering of hopes and dreams had a feeling, but it did, and he was drowning in it. 

 

“Oh, darn,” Hunk replied, then shrugged at Lance. “Sorry buddy, I tried.” 

 

Wait... 

WHAT.

 

Had Hunk been offering to sleep in the same room as them for Lance’s sake? As if  _ Keith _ was the weird and awkward one? 

 

RUDE.

 

“No worries man,” Lance was saying, “three’s a crowd anyways.” 

 

_ EXCUSE ME? _ ! Keith thought savagely, face burning as he glared down at his boots. This was going to be the worst night of his life, he could already tell.

 

“Well, I’m going to turn in then,” Hunk replied, “try not to kill each other in your sleep.”

 

“I make no promises,” Keith mumbled angrily to himself, and felt his arm tug slightly. He looked up to see Lance staring at him with wide eyes, and realized he must have heard him.

 

Good.

 

“Hunk, on second thought…” Lance trailed off.

 

The yellow paladin was chuckling, and patted his friend on the head as one would a dog, or a small child. 

 

“If he does anything I’ll avenge you. Don’t worry.” 

 

“I’m right here you know,” Keith tried to cross his arms, momentarily forgetting that Lance was stuck to the end of his left one, and ended up pulling him down on the couch. He nearly smiled at the yelp that escaped the lankier boy’s throat. 

 

“Hey watch it there!” 

 

“Whoops.” 

 

Hunk chuckled again, and left them alone with Coran. 

 

“If you’ll follow me then,” he said, and Lance and Keith exchanged a look of reigned acceptance, and Keith broke eye contact first. They followed Coran out of the room, fighting briefly to see who would lead the way, before settling on walking side by side with as much space between them as possible. The Altean lead them to the sleeping quarters with minimal conversation, pausing just before reaching the corridor.

 

“Who’s room will it be?” he asked.

 

“Mine.” 

 

Both Lance and Keith had spoken at the same time, and proceeded to glare at each other as Coran sighed.

 

“We can decide this using an old Altean technique my father taught me. It involves a dagger, a blunt object, and an extensive knowledge of the Hamurtie-”

 

“We’ll just rock paper scissors for it Coran,” Lance interrupted, for which Keith was grateful. He didn’t have the energy to find out what a Hamurtie was, or why a dagger was needed. 

Coran shrugged.

 

“I’m assuming that’s an Earth tradition? By all means then.”

 

“You have advantage on this actually,” Lance said, “seeing as my right hand is currently out of commision.”

 

Keith snorted. “Why, you have some sort of winning tactic for a game of chance?”

 

He had been joking, but Lance had a knowing smirk on his face that gave Keith a feeling of  uneasiness. 

 

“You bet I do,” he said, holding out his hand in a fist as was customary for the game. Keith mimicked him. “I’m going to pick rock.” 

 

Keith blanched, eyebrows twitching together as he analyzed Lance’s face.

 

“Yeah, ok,” he tried to make his voice sound more confident than he felt. Typical Lance and his stupid tricks. Leave it to him to try and get the upper hand in rock paper scissors. 

By telling him he was going to pick rock, Keith would automatically go for paper, and Lance would pick scissors and thus win. So Keith should pick rock in order to break the scissors Lance would undoubtedly pick.

 

However, there was also the chance that Lance knew Keith would know his trick, and pick rock just to spite him. 

So it might be wiser for Keith to feign ignorance and pick paper. 

 

But what if….

 

He shook his head of the thoughts. Rock paper scissors wasn’t meant to be complicated, and here he was over analyzing every move. Maybe that was Lance had been going for all along. It was better to just clear his mind and get this over with.

 

Still, Keith was feeling less sure of himself as they readied their hands. 

 

“On three,” he said, then they spoke at the same time.

 

“Rock, paper, scissors!” 

 

Keith panicked, letting his body react before his mind and ended up forming the first thing that came to mind, which happened to be a fist, symbolizing rock.

 

Lance smirked, placing a flat hand over his. “I win.” 

 

Keith was furious. He had picked paper!? 

 

“Best of three!”

 

Coran intervened before Lance could reply. 

 

“I’m not entirely sure what I just witnessed, but if Lance says he is the winner, then let’s leave it at that. I do have my own buisness to attend to.” 

 

Keith wished he could use his rock to wipe the victorious, shit-eating grin off Lance’s face, but forced himself to calm down.

Fine. 

He would sleep in Lance’s room.

 

That was probably the better option anyways, since Lance would undoubtedly end up nosing around in his stuff had they ended up in Keith’s chamber. And now his room would be saved from smelling like Lance. 

 

The last thing Keith wanted was the lingering scent of citrus and mint all over his stuff.

Not that it was a bad smell…

 

“-to Keith-”

 

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his name, and realized Lance had been saying something to him.

 

“Uh..what?”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “I said earth to Keith. You zoned out.”

 

“We’re in space though,” he replied, and Lance deadpanned, lids falling heavily over his eyes in a look of utter defeat.

 

“Nevermind,” he mumbled, pulling Keith along behind him as they made their way to his room. Lance opened the door and gestured around it proudly.

 

“Ta-da!” he exclaimed, and Keith frowned.

 

“It looks the exact same as every other room.”

 

“Maybe,” Lance shrugged, “but this one has me in it, which makes it the best.” 

 

Keith groaned, and Coran moved passed them towards the bed.

 

“Say Coran, where are we going to get another bed-” Lance broke off as Coran fiddled with a panel by the headboard Keith hadn’t known existed. He entered in a code and there was a flurry of motion as the once single bed transformed into a double, big enough for both of them to fit on comfortably.

 

“Woah! Quiznak Coran, why didn’t you tell us about this before! Here I’ve been sleeping like a peasant!” Lance moved towards the bed and plopped down, pulling Keith along with him. He was able to keep his footing though, and remained standing as he ogled the newly renovated room.

 

“It’s a special command that allows the beds to accommodate a couple. It would be inappropriate to be used for only one paladin,” Coran explained, and Keith felt his cheeks begin to burn again. Even Lance looked a little embarrassed. 

 

“Couple?” he gulped, “Coran, we aren’t a…” he broke off, unable to finish the sentence, and Keith gave him a funny look. He figured Lance would be all over this, making jokes and teasing him with innuendos, but this was new. Was Lance just as nervous about this whole thing as he was?

 

“I’m aware,” Coran was saying, “but we can make a special allowance this one time. Besides, this chamber has a history of being used as a couples quarters. The previous red and blue paladins were romantically involved, so the sensors won’t pick up anything unusual about the two of you sharing a bed.” 

 

Keith had to physically force his jaw apart to prevent his teeth from cracking.

Previous paladins as a couple? Red and blue? Sharing a bed? 

ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED?!

It was all too much, even if none of that applied to him and Lance.

 

Coran didn’t seem to notice their change in demeanor, and smiled brightly.

 

“Well, have a good sleep!” he trotted from the room, the door closing firmly behind him and reminding Keith a little too much of a jail cell door. He stared at the ground in front of him, the silence settling upon them like a thick blanket, suffocating and a little too warm. 

 

“Um...do you-” Lance cleared his throat, and Keith glanced down at him. “We should try and get some sleep…” he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck distractedly. Keith only nodded, not fully trusting his voice. 

 

One would think that after holding his hand all day, Keith would be a little more comfortable around Lance. They had been forced to sit together, eat together, and don’t even mention the ordeal that had been bathroom breaks. So Keith felt that, at the very least, he should be able to lie down next to Lance without breaking a sweat.

 

He had never been more wrong in his life.

 

After removing their shoes both boys discovered that they wouldn’t be able to change into their pajamas with their hands clasped together, not that Keith had planned on stripping in front of the blue paladin anytime soon, but Lance was a little more upset about having to sleep in jeans and a jacket. Keith was used to it though, and suggested that he just keep one blanket on instead of two to avoid overheating. 

 

Lance wasn’t having it.

 

“I’m not going to sacrifice my sleeping habits just because I have to wear normal clothes to bed. I’m not an animal.” and with that he had piled on the covers and angrily let his head fall onto the pillow. 

 

Keith climbed in after him, letting their arms stretch as far as they could to maintain as much distance as possible. It was uncomfortable, both literally and metaphorically, but Keith wasn’t about to snuggle up next to the most obnoxious human in space just for the sake of a good night’s rest. 

 

They laid in silence for a while, the time passing at an unknown pace, but Keith knew it was late. Still, his eyes refused to shut; heart beating too quickly to allow his body to settle down properly. 

 

He knew Lance was awake beside him, staring up at the ceiling unblinkingly, which only made things worse. It made sense for Keith to be weird about this. He was the one who had complained all day about being stuck to Lance. He was the one who had groaned at every joke, ignored every tease, and hid every blush as best he could. But Lance? 

 

Lance had no right to be making things this awkward. He was the guy who started all this anyways! Plus he had been so outwardly enthusiastic about Keith staying with him for the night in front of the others.

 

Had that all been a show? 

 

Whatever the case, Keith had resigned himself to a long, sleepless night, when Lance finally spoke.

 

“Hey,” he whispered, “you asleep?”

 

Keith held his breath, not knowing if he should answer or not. Would it be better to just pretend he was and avoid any potentially awkward conversations? Like the fact that they were sleeping in the previous red and blue paladins bed as an unofficial couple? 

 

Yeah, that was exactly what Keith needed right now.

 

Still…if Lance was feeling the same way then maybe talking about it would help. Right?

 

He sighed, mind made up.

 

“Well, if I was, I’m not anymore.” He heard the quick exhale of breath that was Lance chuckling, but didn’t risk looking over. 

 

“Kind of weird hey? That we’re sleeping-”

 

“Don’t even go there.” Keith cut him off, and there was another soft laugh. 

 

“Alright alright,” he said, and another silence descended. Keith was certain Lance had fallen asleep after several minutes with no sound, but then he spoke again, voice softer than before.

 

“I’m sorry, by the way.” 

 

Keith couldn’t help it, and turned his head to glance at Lance. The other boy was staring at the ceiling, a small frown on his face with his free hand tucked under his head. He looked over at the sound of Keith turning and smiled, but there was no warmth in it. This was a regretful smile, and Keith wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing it on Lance’s face.

 

Sure, he knew Lance felt bad about the whole incident, but it hadn’t really occurred to Keith that he would be as upset about it as he was. He had just figured Lance hadn’t really cared either way. 

 

There was also a small part of him that felt angry at Lance, not for getting them into this mess, but for showing his own resentment at the situation. It was stupid, but Keith could have sworn he felt a twinge of defiance deep in his gut; that Lance should feel lucky to have been stuck to him.

 

It was stupid he knew, but Keith couldn’t shake the feeling. He wasn’t that awful to be around, was he?

 

_ Was  _ he?

 

Keith realized like a punch to the stomach that he had, in fact, been a complete arse to Lance all day. He had complained, cursed, called him stupid repeatedly, and actively fought against every attempt the boy had made to lighten the situation. No wonder Lance was being weird. 

 

He probably thought Keith hated him. Like, legitimate loathing. 

And Keith didn’t feel that way at all.

 

He squeezed Lance’s hand as best he could with his own, letting him know that he had heard the apology. 

  
“It’s okay,” he whispered back, and Lance beamed.

 

“Really?”

 

Keith adjusted his blanket as he best he could with one hand and shrugged. 

 

“I mean, don’t do it again, ever,” Lance chuckled at that, “but I forgive you. It wasn’t completely your fault anyways.”

 

Lance was silent for a moment, then: “It was though. I should have listened to the others.”

 

“Maybe,” Keith replied, “but at least we know now what that flower does. And who knows,” he held up their hands and turned them around to inspect them better. “Maybe we can use this goo stuff for repairs or something.”

 

Lance snorted, rubbing his eyes with his free hand, and Keith let their arms fall. 

 

“That actually makes me feel better,” he mumbled after a moment, and it was Keith’s turn to smile.

 

“That’s what I’m here for.”

 

Lance turned his head to stare at him again, eyes alight with mischief.

 

“You sure? I thought it was because we were glued together and you had no other choice.”

 

Keith groaned.

 

“Or is it because you’re naturally drawn to me, and have finally succumbed to my devilish good looks.” 

 

“Yep, moment’s gone.”

 

“Oh? Just like that bonding moment that we so called had?”

 

Keith glared at him.

 

“That happened and you know it.”

 

“Whatever you say mullet.”

 

Keith sat up, and Lance let out a startled yelp, afraid that he was about to get pummeled, but Keith just reached around him and yanked one of the extra pillows from behind his head and threw it down between them. 

 

“Hey! What’s the point of that!”

 

Keith fell back down on his own side of the bed with a soft thud. 

 

“It’s so that I don’t have to look at your dumb face anymore.” 

 

Lance scoffed from the other side of the pillow.

 

“What, scared you’ll fall in love?”

 

_ Maybe… _

 

“You wish,” he said instead, and when Lance didn’t reply he added a quick “just kidding” to ease any tension. It worked, and Lance let out a deep breath he must have been holding.

Odd…

 

He spoke again after a brief pause.

 

“This is kind of like that one movie where they put a sword between them to keep the guy and girl on their own sides of the bed-” 

 

“Lance I swear to god,” Keith trailed off, leaving the threat open ended and gaining a soft chuckle from the other side of the pillow.

 

“No but really, the movie is super romantic and-”

 

“If you don’t stop talking right this instant this pillow might just find itself on top of your face.”

 

“Geez violent much? And here I took you as a gentle lover-” he broke off with a startled ‘ooft’ as Keith smacked him with the pillow. “Ow!”

 

“I warned you,” Keith murmured, biting back a grin as Lance leaned forward to glare at him, hair messy and standing on end from static. Keith nearly bit off his tongue at the sight, and quickly turned his head to avoid looking over at him.

 

_ Goddamn… _

 

He heard Lance settle back down on his side of the pillow after a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for Lance to see him blushing. He wouldn’t hear the end of it.

 

Several more minutes passed, and Keith found his body growing heavy with fatigue, eyes slowly closing as he sunk deeper in the mattress, when Lance spoke again.

 

“Goodnight Keith,” he whispered, and Keith felt his heart leap into his throat. He managed to get his breathing under control before replying with a soft “night”, then listened to the sound of Lance’s breathing grow more even, until he was sure the boy was finally asleep. 

 

He slowly leaned forward, cringing each time the mattress groaned under his weight, and peered over the pillow between them, careful not to move their hands.

 

Lance’s face was turned towards him, hair strewn over his forehead carelessly, and Keith fought the urge to push it back. His mouth was open slightly, lips curled up into a small smile that had Keith aching to know what he was dreaming about. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, and as Keith reached over and adjusted the blankets so that they were pulled up close to Lance’s neck, the blue paladin snuggled into his pillow with a muffled sigh, and Keith quickly pulled back, scared to wake him. 

 

But nothing happened, and as Keith slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, he had one shocking, if not unexpected, realization. 

 

He had a crush on Lance.

  
_ I’m so screwed. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holding hands with someone you (insert emotion here) makes life so much more difficult? wonderful?  
> Let's go with confusing.

 

Lance usually liked to start his day with a cold shower. The icy water would wake him better than any coffee, not that there was much of that in space to begin with, but the point remained. Plus, showering in cold water was better for the skin, hair, and immune system, so why wouldn’t he take advantage of that?

 

As his mind slowly awoke from a groggy sleep, Lance had only one thing in mind, and that was his morning rinse. But as he leaned forward, several other realizations popped into his head at once, all of them having to do with the red paladin.

 

Almost like he had stepped beneath the icy water of the showerhead, Lance jolted awake, launching forward suddenly and feeling a slight tug on his right arm.

 

Oh yeah. He was stuck to Keith.

 

Speaking of, a small groan escaped the other boy’s lips at the abrupt movement, and when Lance looked down at him, his mouth fell open in shock.

 

Keith was absolutely adorable in his sleep. His hair, which usually hung down over and around his face, had been pulled back by the pillow, displaying more forehead than Lance had ever seen on the boy. It was like staring at a completely different person!

 

His face was more relaxed as well, the hard lines that usually took residence around his lips and eyes were gone, making Keith look much younger than he was, not that he was really that old to begin with. Lance allowed himself to lean forward across the pillow that separated them, a cute, innocent gesture Keith had done last night, and sighed to himself.

 

He let his head rest on his free arm over the barrier to better stare at the boy, and yeah, maybe it was creepy, but Lance didn’t care. He wanted to memorize as much of the red paladin’s face as possible while he had the chance. 

 

Besides, waking up next to Keith was something he had, admittedly, dreamt about for a while now, though he would never say as much. It wasn’t like he had feelings or anything for the boy, that was ridiculous. 

 

They were rivals. Enemies. Friends as well, yes, but Lance hadn’t dared hope for more. Keith, he was pretty sure, was not his biggest fan.

 

Not that Lance blamed him. He knew he could be a handful at times, and the whole flower-glue thing hadn’t exactly helped matters. Or at least, that was what he had thought before last night.

 

Where he had been expecting hostility, he had gotten quite the opposite. Keith had been...kind? To him?

 

No, that wasn’t right. Keith was nice enough when they weren’t arguing or competing over something, but this had been different from that. This Keith, and Keith from last night, was softer, gentler. Maybe even a bit, dare he say it, flirty?

Was that too much to hope for?

 

Whatever the case, Lance felt like waking up with Keith was something he could get used to. 

 

And then he remembered  _ why  _ he was waking up next to Keith, and his mood soured.

Right.

 

The only reason the red paladin was here was because Lance had been an idiot and touched something he wasn’t supposed to, resulting in a rather sticky situation.

 

He smiled at the pun, knowing Hunk would appreciate it, and filed it away for later use. 

 

Oh well, what could he do know anyways? They were stuck with each other until a remedy was found, so he may as well enjoy it, right?

 

Lance reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Keith’s ear, fingers trailing across his cheek lightly as he did. When he pulled back his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. 

 

Keith’s eyes were open, and he was staring at him blankly, mind probably registering why Lance was in the same bed as him, and why he was touching his cheek. He could see the thoughts clearly displayed on Keith’s face, changing from confusion to shock to that same frown Lance had grown so used to seeing, eyebrows knitting together in his trademark scowl.

 

“What the hell are you doing,” he growled, sitting up roughly and shaking his hair out so it covered his forehead once again, and Lance silently mourned the loss.

He had to think quick though, and slapped on an easy grin as he sat up.

 

“You had an eyelash on your cheek, so I made a wish.”

 

Keith narrowed his eyes at him and Lance shrugged.

 

“Don’t you know anything? If an eyelash falls out you place it on the back of your hand, make a wish and blow it away. That way the devil can’t get control over you.” It was something his momma had told him a long time ago, and though Lance had never been one for superstitions, Keith probably wouldn’t question him on it. Sure enough, the boy blinked twice slowly, his expression bored, and Lance rolled his eyes.

 

“Nevermind.” The cover had worked, and Lance breathed a sigh of relief. Keith stifled a yawn as he stretched his arms above his head, subsequently pulling Lance’s arm up with him, then stared perplexed at their hands for a moment.

 

He groaned loudly.

 

“Ugh, I totally forgot about this,” he shook their entwined fingers, massaging his neck with his free hand.

 

Lance quirked an eyebrow, seeing an opportunity and grabbing hold with both hands.

 

“Really? So why did you think you were in my bed for?”

 

Keith froze, cheeks turning a light pink as he scrambled for an explanation.

 

“I remembered-I knew you did something...I just forgot it was this,” he gestured to their hands again, but Lance was smiling too much to notice. Was Keith flustered? This was definitely new.

 

“Aweh, that’s ok mullet, I know how irresistible I am,” he winked, and Keith shoved the pillow in his face, giving Lance a sense of deja vu. 

 

“Just shut up and get ready. I want to hit the training deck before breakfast.”

 

Lance scoffed.

 

“Yeah, okay,” he mocked, but Keith only nodded.

 

“Good. Let’s go then.”

 

“Wait,” Lance froze, “are you serious? How are we supposed to train like this!” He held up their hands again and gave them a little shake, as if to remind Keith that, hey, they were still stuck, and they could barely walk together much less train.

 

Keith didn’t seem to understand.

 

“It’ll be fine. We can do an easier setting to start.”

 

“Keith, buddy,” Lance began, but was pulled off the bed as Keith made to stand, dawning his boots and cracking his back with a few satisfying pops. Lance tried not to stare at the small patch of pale midriff that was exposed as the darker haired boy stretched some more, forcing his mind to focus on the task at hand. “I’ll die!”

 

“No,” Keith replied with a grunt as he struggled to get adjust his belt, “you won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

 

Lance felt his face heat, and Keith paused, realizing what he had said.

 

“That’s not a compliment or anything,” he stammered. “It’s just a precaution. I’ve already promised myself the honours of your death once I’m free of this crap.”

 

“Gee,” Lance huffed, “how romantic.” 

 

Keith only sighed in reply, then tossed Lance’s shoes to him. 

 

“C’mon, or I’ll drag you down there myself.”

 

Lance batted his eyelashes with a small grin. “Promise?”

 

***

 

Though he hadn’t had to drag him, Lance had taken a fair amount of persuasion to get anywhere near the training deck, and after several failed attempts at flattery, Keith had resorted to blackmail in the form of telling everyone that their so-called ‘sharpshooter’ talked in his sleep.

 

It was a bit of a stretch, seeing as the only words that had come from Lance’s mouth all night were ones Keith didn’t understand, but Lance didn’t know that, and neither did the others, so he felt he could get away the fib.

 

As it was Lance had become incredibly agreeable after the warning, which made Keith wonder what it was he had been dreaming about that he wanted to keep hidden. It made him genuinely curious, but he would wait until after training to pry into that topic, lest Lance figure out his bluff.

 

“I still don’t see why this is necessary,” Lance muttered as they programmed the regime. Keith was beginning to regret his decision when he realized that he would be utterly useless without the use of this left hand, which was attached to the least coordinated member of their team in his opinion, and would probably end up with some nasty bruises by the end of the session.

But he wasn’t about to admit that after the effort it had taken to get Lance down there, so he put on a brave face.

 

“You need to work on your hand to hand combat,” he replied matter-of-factly. Lance huffed, placing his free hand on his hip.

 

“Um, excuse you, but my hand to hand combat is fine thank you very much, and in case you haven’t noticed,” he lifted the entwined fingers and shook his arm, thus shaking Keith’s in the process. “My good one is out of commission!”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. 

 

“Then consider it a training exercise in strengthening your non-dominant side. What happens if you’re in battle and you get wounded? What if you’re forced to fight with only one arm? What if your hand get’s trapped in something and you need to fight off enemies?”

 

“What if they have to cut it off because they can’t find a remedy for plant goo,” Lance muttered darkly, and Keith frowned.

 

“It won’t come to that,” he hoped anyways, “but in the meantime it would be nice to have someone I’m attached to be able to have my back in battle.” 

 

Lance quirked an eyebrow as a wicked smirk appeared on his face.

 

“I didn’t know you felt that way about me Keith, so sweet.” 

 

Keith groaned.

 

“ _ Physically  _ attached, not  _ emotionally _ . The only reason I’m doing this is to better our chances of survival if we need to fight.” Only partially true, but Lance didn’t need to know that Keith also wanted to use this as an excuse to train with him. He had been wanting to offer for a while now, noticing how Lance tended to prefer ranged attacks to melee, but that was partly due to the form his bayard took. Still, Keith couldn’t help but think about what would happen if the blue paladin was ever in a situation that required the use of fists. 

 

Lance was still watching him with that self-righteous expression, so Keith turned the stimulator on and lowered himself into a ready position. 

 

“What are you-” Lance began, but didn’t finish. Or rather,  _ couldn’t _ finish.

 

A sentry had appeared before them and clocked Lance right in the gut. It would have been easy to dodge had he been paying attention, but this was Lance he was talking about. Keith let out a burst of laughter that was cut short as Lance toppled over with a ‘ooft’, dragging him down as well. 

 

They both ended up on the floor; Lance clenching his stomach and Keith rubbing his knees and elbows. They were off to a great start.

 

“Nice one,” Keith snarled sarcastically, his elbow skinned and sore. Lance held up a single finger in reply.

 

“That freaking hurt you ass-” he managed to wheeze out, and Keith bit back another laugh. 

 

“It’s on easy, it can’t have been that bad. You’re being a baby.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Lance shot him a glare, then stood abruptly, hoisting Keith up with him. “Let’s see you try.”

 

The sentry turned to face them, and this time Lance was paying attention. Keith noticed how he lowered his center of gravity and kept both eyes on the enemy ahead of them. He followed suit, watching how Lance would react this time around. 

 

Unfortunately for Keith, the sentry wasn’t aiming for the lankier boy, and as he was watching Lance, it rushed forward in his direction. He had a split second to react, and tried to roll backwards out of the way. 

 

It was a move he had done hundreds of times, and would have been executed flawlessly save for one minor detail.

 

Lance.

 

He yelped as Keith fell backwards, body curving inwards to accommodate the roll, but Lance was not as graceful, and ended up tumbling down right on top of him with a solid thud.

 

They both screamed in their brief moment of freefall, though neither would ever admit it, and then bright white pain was shooting through Keith’s tailbone and elbows once again.

A stream of curse words flew from his mouth, vulgar enough to sour milk, but when his eyes opened he found himself at a loss for words.

 

Lance was staring down at him, blue eyes wide with shock. Everything became hyperfocused as Keith realized the position they were in; Lance partially laying on him, their legs a tangled mess, faces mere inches apart. He could feel the other boy’s breath on his skin, and despite the warmth of it, a shiver ran down his body. He wasn’t sure how long they remained like that, both not daring to speak lest the moment, or whatever you wanted to call it, broke, but it may well have been eternities. 

 

Keith could have gotten lost in the blues of Lance’s irises, the dark reds of his flushed cheeks, and the smooth browns of his face and neck. It was all too much, and at the same time, not nearly enough.

 

And then Lance had the nerve, the audacity, to smile. 

 

“Nice one,” he whispered, and Keith felt his pulse seize to exist.  He shoved Lance up and off of him roughly, scuttling back as far as his arm would allow. He knew his face was red; he could feel the heat radiating off of it, and let his hair fall into his eyes as he struggled to regain his composure.

 

“You did that on purpose,” he managed after a moment, and Lance scoffed.

 

“Did what! Neglect to read your mind?!” he brushed off his shirt with his free hand. “How was I supposed to know you were going to Jackie Chan your way out that!”

 

“Rolling away from an opponent is a basic way to avoid an attack you aren’t prepared for.”

 

“Oh, yeah, okay,” Lance taunted, “let me just jot that down.” he pretended to write on an invisible notepad. “‘When enemy is running at you, fall over and play dead.’ Thanks prof, can’t wait for the exam!” 

 

Keith scowled, standing up and regretting it immediately. His back felt like he had slept on a rock, a deep bruise already forming on his tailbone and elbows bleeding from the consecutive scraping. 

 

“Forget it,” he shot back, turning off the training regime and groaning as he massaged his aching rear. Lance noticed his grimace, and dropped the mocking grin in favour of a concerned frown.

 

“Hey, are you ok?” 

 

Keith glared at him to see if he was just teasing again, but after seeing the worry on Lance’s face, let out a sigh.

 

“I’m fine. Let’s just go get breakfast.”

 

Lance was still watching him intently as they exited the training deck, and Keith did his best to cover up the fact that his tailbone was on fire by insisting they walk side by side. They didn’t say much as they made their way to the kitchens, and Keith got the feeling that Lance was blaming himself for his injury. 

 

Sure enough, just before reaching the doors to the dining hall, Lance spoke.

 

“Are you sure you’re ok? I’m really sorry…” he trailed off as Keith stopped, biting back the rude retort that was ready on his tongue. He wanted to be mad at Lance; would have been perfectly content to blame him, but this wasn’t his fault. 

 

Well, technically it was, seeing as he was the one who had gotten them stuck together in the first place, thus leading to Keith’s training going so terribly, but that would just be petty to point out.

 

As much of a pain in the ass Lance was, the bruise there was all Keith’s doing.

 

“It’s not your fault,” he admitted, “I let my instincts get the better of me.” 

 

“No, I should have been paying attention to what you were doing-”

 

“How could you have known I was going to roll backwards, much less accommodate that motion while being attached at the hand? It was doomed from the start.”

 

Lance stared at him for a moment longer, then shook his head as he began to chuckle. 

 

“We kind of suck at this, don’t we.”

 

Keith couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his own face, and nodded in agreement.

 

“Well, to be completely fair, neither of us has ever trained while holding hands, so…”

 

Lance snorted, then his face lit up in that way it did whenever he had an idea. Keith tried to ignore how he knew that.

 

“Can you imagine how awesome that would look if we got really good though? Like, Haggar would have no idea what to think of it! It could be like, a secret weapon!” his grin was infectious, and Keith found himself nodding along despite how preposterous it sounded.

 

Keith doubted Haggar would bat an eye at seeing them fight whilst holding hands, or why that would be a useful strategy in the first place, but he wasn’t about to admit that. Lance was beaming, and Keith wanted to keep him that way.

 

“Everything alright boys?”

 

Both Keith and Lance yelped at the sudden voice, and turned to see Coran standing behind them with a knowing gleam in his eyes. His hands were clasped behind his back, and Keith wondered how long he had been standing there. 

 

He hoped not too long, seeing as he and Lance had just been discussing the possibility of holding hands during combat to throw off an evil witch of an alien, and that thought alone was enough to make his insides writhe with embarrassment. 

 

“Just dandy!” Lance answered for them, and Coran’s mustache lifted slightly as he smiled back.

 

“Good, good,” he said, more to himself than anyone. “Shall we then?” he gestured to the doors in front of them, and Keith felt his face flush. 

 

“Um, right…” he mumbled, and shoved his way into the room, Lance following close behind. Hunk and Shiro were already there, and both lifted their heads to see who had entered. 

 

“Morning!” Hunk waved, getting up to grab them each a bowl. “How was your sleep?” 

 

Keith would have thought he was being mocked had that question come from anyone else, but this was Hunk. He looked genuinely curious.

 

“Normal,” Keith said at the same time Lance replied with a dramatic “stupendous!” 

 

Hunk looked between them, a small smile playing at his lips. 

 

“That’s good then,” he replied, and gestured for them to sit down. Keith winced when his tailbone hit the seat, and Lance leaned his head down to whisper at him.

 

“You sure you’re alright?” No. His tailbone hurt. 

 

“Just dandy,” he retorted, mocking Lance’s previous use of the phrase. The boy didn’t seem to notice the quip. 

 

“You’re sure? Because I can get you a pillow or-”

 

“No Lance, god! Quit asking me! I’m fine!” he was embarrassed more than anything, which wasn’t Lance’s fault, but his voice had come out louder than he had been wanting, and everyone stopped to stare at him. Keith blushed, shooting a glare in Lance’s direction, noticing the hurt look that crossed his face briefly at the sudden outburst. 

 

Great.

 

“Did something happen?” Shiro asked, leaning forward in his chair to better inspect Keith for injuries. 

 

“It’s nothing,” Keith mumbled, but Lance was less conspicuous. His reply was blunt and to the point, most likely payback for Keith’s previous snappy tone. 

 

“His ass is sore.” 

 

Coran and Shiro exchanged mutually shocked expressions, and Hunk dropped a bowl with a startled yelp.

 

“I didn’t know your night was  _ that _ good!” he exclaimed, and Keith nearly choked. Even Lance was too startled to come up with a witty reply.

 

“No! Never!” Keith’s voice came out an octave too high, but he didn’t care. The last thing he needed was the rest of the team thinking he and Lance had actually  _ slept  _ together! “I wouldn’t, we didn’t-” he scrambled for words. “I fell during training, that’s all. It’s nothing.” 

 

Shiro visibly relaxed, but Hunk looked disappointed. 

 

“Oh,” he mumbled, and bent to retrieve the fallen dish.

 

“Are you okay?” Shiro was asking, and Keith nodded hastily.

 

“Yes. I’m fine. I just landed on my tailbone.”

 

“Do you need to go in the healing pod at all?”

 

“I’m fine Shiro!” he barked out, patience wearing thin, but seeing Shiro visibly wince at the sudden change in his tone made Keith feel worse than the growing bruise on his rear. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice softer this time, “it’s no big deal.” 

 

And it wasn’t really. Keith had sustained worse injuries than this before, but he had hidden them from the others. This time was different because Lance had seen him fall, which was embarrassing enough without having the others worry over the well-being of his ass. 

 

Shiro was nodding, but Keith could tell there would be a discussion on the matter in the future. For once he was actually grateful to have Lance attached to his hand, if only to prolong that conversation. 

 

Speaking of, the blue paladin was being unusually quiet, and when Keith glanced over he noticed him picking at his food absently. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Allura entered the room.

 

“Good morning!” she said cheerily, and Keith whipped around in his seat to face her.

 

“Have you found anything out yet? About this glue stuff?”

 

Allura gave him a strange look, and Keith wondered if she had forgotten.

 

“Didn’t Coran tell you?”

 

Keith’s eyebrows lowered in confusion as he turned to look at the man, who was making eyes at Allura. He noticed Keith’s gaze and perked up immediately.

 

“Oh! Right!” he started, then, in a tone of voice that sounded much too joyful considering the news, “we have found nothing!” 

 

Keith groaned, letting his head fall to the table with a soft thud. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

 

“But-” Allura began, and there was a scuffle of motion as she trailed off. Keith raised his head in time to see Coran escorting her out of the room whilst whispering feverently in her ear. He looked over at Shiro, who looked just as perplexed. 

 

“Maybe something with the ship?” He stood to join them out in the hall, leaving Keith, Hunk and Lance alone at the table.

 

“What was that all about?” Hunk pondered aloud, and Keith could only shake his head.

 

“Whatever,” he grumbled, mood dampened as he recalled Coran’s words. 

 

Nothing.

What if they never found a remedy? What if he and Lance were stuck like this forever!

 

He glanced over at the boy beside him, noticing his blank expression as he played with his food. Why wasn’t he reacting to the news? 

 

“Hey buddy,” Hunk asked before Keith got the chance, “you alright?” 

 

Lance’s head jerked up, and a large smile erupted on his face.

 

“Oh, yeah, just thinking about how much I miss earth food.” 

 

Hunk nodded, carrying on with that topic of conversation, but Keith didn’t hear. Was it just him, or had that smile felt a little forced? He watched Lance closely as he spoke with Hunk, noticing the way his eyes didn’t light up fully when he spoke, or how his foot was tapping nervously against the ground. 

 

Something was wrong, and Lance was trying to hide it by pretending to be fine. 

Keith made a mental note to ask him about that later.

 

For now though, he ate his food, wondering if he would really be able to cut off his own hand if it came down to it, or if Lance would mind spending the rest of his life with him attached to his right hand, fingers entwined for eternity.

 

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad...

 

***

 

“Guys, I’m searching as fast as I can, but these Altean texts are hard to read.”

 

Pidge knocked away Hunk’s hand as it inched closer towards her screen, and he pouted.

 

“C’mon Pidge I’m bored let me help!” 

 

Lance chuckled at his friend’s face.

 

“Can you pass that other book there buddy?” he asked, setting down the one he had been struggling to decipher for the past two hours. Though he had been practicing, the Altean language was difficult to master, the words not transferring to English as smoothly as say, Spanish.

Hunk tossed him the text with ease, but when it landed in Lance’s lap he let out a muffled ‘ooft’ at the weight.

 

“Geez careful Goliath, I’m fragile over here,” he teased, and Hunk shrugged.

 

“I already read through that one and didn’t find anything new, so there’s no point re-reading it.”

 

Lance let a smirk grow on his face, and Hunk gave him a curious look.

 

“Yeah I’m done with research too,” he stated, and proceeded to place the hefty book on Keith’s lap, who was passed out beside him. “I want to see how many I can balance on him before he wakes up.”

 

Pidge snorted, having been watching them over the screen of her laptop. 

 

“He’s going to be pissed if you do that,” she warned, but Lance was already adding a second book to the pile. He didn’t care if Keith would be angry with him or not.

 

He was bored, and his only source of entertainment had swiftly fallen asleep at the very mention of reading through the ancient texts. For someone so desperate to be free of the plant goo, Keith wasn’t putting much effort into helping solve the riddle. Lance had begun to wonder if maybe he wasn’t so concerned about the goo itself and more focused on being free of the person he was stuck to. It was a silly thought, but Lance couldn’t help but overanalyze the possibility.

 

Keith had, after all, made himself very clear that morning at breakfast that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Lance. 

 

Well, maybe not in those words exactly, but even the mere idea of them having possibly slept together in an intimate way had thrown Keith into hysterics. Lance didn’t think he was  _ that _ bad, even from a hypothetical mindset.

 

But Keith had said never...and never was an awfully long time.

 

He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but his mood had taken a nosedive into self pity, and a few books strategically placed on the other boy’s lap was more of a coping mechanism than anything.

 

“Here,” Hunk said, handing another text to Lance and moving to sit closer to them. 

 

“You know,” Pidge went on, “you guys could be helping  _ me _ research this crap. I’m not the one with my hand stuck.” 

 

“We need a break Pidgey, come help us,” Lance cooed, and she rolled her eyes, not moving from her spot on the floor.

 

“I wonder what else we can put on him,” Hunk wondered out loud, standing to root around the room Allura had put them in. She was more relaxed today, Lance had noted, despite the weird exchange from that morning, and had made an excuse about needing to do some ship calibrations, leading to them spending the day surrounded by thousands of pages of a near dead language. 

 

Coran was also absent, but he had given no explanation. Shiro was helping him apparently, and where Lance would usually be more curious about their whereabouts, he wasn’t feeling very inquisitive just then.

 

“Oh, yes!” Hunk proclaimed, returning with an odd looking vase that shifted in colour depending on where his hand touched it, reminding Lance of a large mood ring. 

 

“Woah, dude, what it that!” 

 

Hunk shrugged, examining the item closer as he sat down beside him on the couch. It was turning a bluish-green colour around his fingertips, and Lance wondered if maybe it was reflecting Hunk’s mood.

 

Lance had sisters, and they had each gone through the mood ring craze back when he was younger. If his memory served right, he recalled that blue-green meant happy, or upbeat, which Hunk definitely was. 

 

He decided to test it.

 

“Let Pidge hold it,” he suggested, and the girl frowned.

 

“I don’t want to touch that thing-” but it was too late, and she was forced to catch it as Hunk tossed it over in her direction. “Ack!” 

 

Immediately the colours began to shift, changing from blue to orange, indicating stress or confusion. It only lasted a few moments however, for as soon as Pidge saw the colours change she calmed down.

 

“Woah...this is actually pretty neat,” she mumbled, and the vase shifted again, switching between a bright green and the same bluish hues that had been seen when Hunk was holding it. 

 

“It’s showing our moods…” he trailed off, an idea beginning to form in his head.

 

“How do you know?” Pidge asked, and Lance explained.

 

“My little sisters used to play with things like this. They change colour depending on what you’re feeling.” 

 

“Really?” Hunk reached out to touch the vase again, and it flashed yellow. “Woah, what was that!” 

 

“It means you’re anxious,” Lance chuckled. “Try thinking about something that makes you happy and try again.”

 

Hunk nodded, closing his eyes to focus. After a moment he reached out again and touched the vase, and sure enough, the blue-green was back. Hunk beamed.

 

“This is so cool,”he whispered, taking it back when Pidge lost interest. “Here, you try.”

 

He handed it to Lance, who took it hesitantly. Where he had been expecting the same colours Pidge and Hunk had gotten, the vase turned a curious shade of grey.

 

“Uh...what’s that mean?” Hunk asked cautiously. 

 

Lance frowned. “I’m not sure. I’ve never seen grey on a mood ring before. Maybe it’s broken?”

 

Hunk took it back, and the blue-green colour returned, mixed with twinges of orange to indicate he was a bit confused. Lance shrugged, trying not to think about it too much. 

 

“Maybe the Alteans have more colour variations than Earth.” He grabbed the vase again, ignoring the grey swirls that decorated its’ surface, and shifted to face Keith. 

 

“Let’s see if it works for mr. sleepy head.” He leaned over and wrapped Keith’s free hand around the cool surface, and gasped as it instantly turned an intense shade of black. 

Hunk’s worry was evident in his voice.

 

“That doesn’t look good!” he grabbed Lance’s shoulder and shook it slightly. “What does it mean!” 

 

Lance’s eyebrows creased in thought. Black was the default colour when the ring wasn’t being worn, but if it stayed the dark colour after coming into contact with body heat then it was usually not a great sign.

 

“It means fear, angst...depression sometimes…” he trailed off, seeing the tension in Keith’s face and shoulders. He wondered if maybe he was having a nightmare, and gave his hand a light squeeze in his own. “Hey,” he whispered, “it’s ok. I’m here.” 

 

Hunk gasped loudly beside him, and Lance jumped at the sudden noise. 

 

“What-” he began, then saw what Hunk was pointing at. A small circle of indigo was blooming in the midst of all that black, growing larger and more intense with each passing second. The colour shifted into a deep purple, then a burgundy, before finally settling on a pastel pink with blotches of violet. 

 

Lance felt his face heat as he watched it shift lazily, then turned back to stare at Keith’s face. His eyebrows, which had been previously furrowed, were relaxed, and a small hint of a smile was playing at his lips.

 

“Oh boy,” Hunk proclaimed, “and that?”

 

Lance blinked, knowing full well what the colours represented. 

 

Affection, comfort…

Love.

 

“It’s uh-” he cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away from Keith to stare down at the vase. “It just means he’s dreaming.”

 

“Really?” Hunk asked, skeptical undertone in his voice.

 

Lance nodded, plastering a smile on his face to deter him from further questions. 

 

“Yeah. Probably about knives, or killing me,” he laughed, but there was little humour in it. Hunk eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but decided it wasn’t worth pursuing. 

 

“Well, we can use it as a final touch,” he said instead, reminding Lance that they had been in the middle of stacking books on Keith prior to the whole mood vase incident. 

 

“Sure,” he replied, but his heart was no longer in it. He glanced down at the vase again, mesmerized by the shifting hues of pink and purple, and tried to keep his heartbeat steady. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that the colours had changed right after Lance had spoken, could it? 

 

But if that was the case, then Lance was even more confused than before. Hadn’t Keith made himself perfectly clear that he had no feelings for him? Or was he just shy? 

Was is possible that the red paladin was harbouring a secret crush, much the same as Lance? 

 

Or maybe it was as he had told Hunk, and Keith was simply dreaming about other things, his mood having shifted right at the exact time Lance had spoken, totally unrelated to what he had said or done.

 

_ What’s going on in your head? _

 

As if in reply, Keith’s fingers tightened briefly around his own, the faint pressure enough to send Lance’s heart over the moon, though which one he wasn’t sure. Space, as he had come to learn, was vast. That was enough of an answer for now though, and Lance bit back a grin.

 

As it was, he avoided touching the vase again, lest his new emotions be displayed for the others to see. He was feeling a little too pink to want Hunk teasing him in front of Pidge.

 

As the afternoon progressed, they managed to get a grand total of twenty six books, a stool, and several pillows balanced on top of Keith, and were in the process of placing the colour changing vase on top when he finally awoke. 

 

“What-” he began groggily, and then he shifted, and the tower descended upon them. Lance hadn’t considered that part, and ended up receiving a few good knocks to the head as the items succumbed to gravity.

 

“Eeek!” he yelped, trying his best to cover his head as Hunk jumped back just in time. 

 

“Timber,” Pidge mumbled sarcastically from the corner where she was still working, and then Keith could be heard from beneath the pile, cursing away.

 

“What the flying fuck! Why are there-ouch!” he broke off, and Lance was pulled up as Keith stood abruptly, books and cushions alike tumbling to the floor. The vase landed on the couch behind them, but Keith paid it no mind. “What the hell!” 

 

Lance was rubbing a sore spot on his leg, making eye contact with Hunk to keep quiet. Pidge didn’t seem to care.

 

“That’s what you get for falling asleep instead of helping us,” she stated in a monotone voice, eyes scanning over her screen. Keith scowled.

 

“What’s the point. There’s nothing to be found.”

 

“Untrue,” she murmured, and Lance perked up.

 

“Wait, did you find something?” he asked, and she shrugged.

 

“I found lots of things.”

 

“Pidge!”

 

She sighed, turning her laptop screen towards them, strange markings and symbols dancing across the screen, none of them making sense to him.

 

“I found this entry in one of the archives, but it’s not in Altean.”

 

“What is it then?” asked Keith, moving closer to her, thus bringing Lance along with him.

 

Pidge frowned.

 

“Galran. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check over some of the data I’ve managed to borrow,” she made air quotes at that, “from our purple friends, and stumbled across this journal entry from approximately…” she trailed off, flipping the screen around and squinting her eyes to read it better. “Two thousand and twenty seven years ago, human time.” 

 

“What does it say?”

 

“‘Purple friends?’”

 

“Since when can you read Galran?”

 

They all spoke at the same time, but it was Keith’s question she decided to answer.

 

“I picked it up after figuring out the bulk of Altean. The two aren’t that different really.” She shrugged again, as if she were discussing the changes in weather, and not ancient alien languages. 

 

Keith looked genuinely impressed, free hand resting on his hip.

 

“So,” he began, but she cut him off.

 

“Before you ask, no. I didn’t find a solution to your mess. But-” she scanned the screen again, using her finger to keep place. “It talks about a planet filled with,” she frowned, “and I can’t read this word, but I bet it’s some sort of plant. Anyways, it says to avoid touching them since the ‘thick resinous nectar will coagulate and form an incredibly strong bonding agent with whatever it comes in contact with’-”

 

“That sounds about right,” Lance chimed in, and she nodded.

 

“I’m thinking it’s the same flower that got you. Apparently it comes off with a good scrubbing.”

 

Keith frowned. “We tried that already, and it didn’t work.”

 

Pidge smirked, a gleam in her eyes. 

 

“That’s the interesting part,” she paused, eyeing them briefly to make sure they were still listening, “is that in this particular text, there’s a separate warning for Galran soldiers specifically. Apparently there’s something in their blood that reacts with the nectar, making it nearly impossible to remove, and causing it to solidify within a few days, encasing whatever part it touched in a glass-like coating, sort of like obsidian I’m guessing.” 

 

They were all silent as she finished.

 

“So,” Hunk began,

 

“this means-” Keith started,

 

“it’s  _ your _ fault!” Lance finished, pointing towards Keith accusingly. He was grinning though, the realization that he no longer had to carry all the blame feeling like a massive weight off his shoulders. “I keep forgetting you’re part Galra!”

 

Keith was red in the face, his eyebrows lowered in a scowl.

 

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he argued, but Pidge was shaking her head.

 

“Well, it doesn’t mean  _ nothing _ . Sure, the whole thing wouldn’t have happened if Lance had just listened to us,” he cowered under her gaze, “but your Galran heritage is definitely not helping. In fact,” she stood, placing her laptop on the ground beside her and reaching for their entwined fingers. She brought their hands up to her face to better examine some of the purple goo that had seeped through. 

 

“Yep,” she stated, pointing to a small section of nectar by their pinkies. “It’s already starting. See?” Keith and Lance both leaned forward at the same time, and ended up bumping heads. 

 

“Ow-” Lance complained, but Keith didn’t seem to care much.

 

His lower lip was wedged between his teeth as he tapped the goo lightly, eyeing the different texture it had taken compared to the rest. Lance watched him intently.

 

“Shit,” Keith whispered under his breath, then for them all to hear: “so you’re saying we’re stuck like this because I’m having some weird alien allergic reaction to pollen? Seriously?”

 

Hunk snorted, and Keith shot him a glare. The yellow paladin hastily covered his mouth with both hands in response.

 

“That would be my guess, yeah. Though I think you have longer than a week since you’re only part Galra.” Pidge explained, retrieving her laptop from the floor and heading to the door. “I’m going to tell Coran about it. In the meantime, you two might want to try getting along better. Just because I found this doesn’t mean we have an answer yet. Who knows if we’ll even find a cure.” She left, leaving them all with dampened spirits.

 

“That was an unnecessary addition,” Lance pouted, and Hunk nodded in agreement.

 

“She’s not one for sugar-coating things.”

 

“At least she found something though,” Keith said, eyes still focused on the crystallizing nectar. “We have a lead now.”

 

Lance straightened, putting one hand on his hip and raising an eyebrow.

 

“So, mullet head, got anything to say?”

 

Keith glanced at him through heavily lidded eyes, his expression annoyed.

 

“I’m not apologizing, if that’s what you’re after.”

 

“You’re the reason we’re stuck!” 

 

“Only because you thought it would be funny to wipe flower goo on me!”

 

“It _ was _ funny!”

 

“Then how come I’m not laughing!”

 

“Because you have the sense of humour of a stick!” Lance snapped back, the argument growing heated. Keith snarled. Like, genuinely growled at him, and Hunk put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Alright, that’s enough you two.” 

 

Lance stepped back, allowing Hunk to stand between them, and glared over his shoulder at Keith.

 

“Keith, you really should-” Hunk started, but was cut off short by Keith throwing his free arm in the air angrily.

 

“I’m not about to apologize for being part Galra! That’s not my fault!” he glared at Lance, eyes piercing through him like the sword his bayard resembled. “I didn’t ask for this,  _ any _ of this! You think I want to share the same blood as our enemy? You think that was my choice?”

 

“Keith, calm down-” 

 

“Shut up Hunk!” he turned his attention back on Lance, holding up their hands and shaking them roughly. “You think  _ this _ was my choice? You think I  _ wanted  _ to be stuck to you all day and all night for god knows how long? Because no, I didn’t. I  _ don’t! _ ” He let their arms drop, jabbing a finger at Lance with his free hand.

 

“ _ This _ is all  _ your _ fault,” he spat, then turned away. Lance bit the inside of his cheek to keep his lip from trembling, jaw beginning to ache from the effort. He could feel the anger seeping off Keith in waves, and knowing it was directed at him only made Lance feel worse. He shouldn’t have said anything...

 

Hunk was staring between them, unsure what to do, and as much as Lance wanted to stick up for his friend, he didn’t think his voice would hold. Instead he glared at the ground with blurry vision, feeling the tug of his right arm as Keith pulled away as much as he could, and something inside him shattered.

 

So much for feeling pink.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no boys, can't we all just hold hands and apologize?  
> Oh wait...
> 
> I have the fluffy next part ready to go but decided to be mean and leave you with angst. Please don't hate (^3^)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding moments and a new hope? Maybe?

 

They didn’t speak for the rest of the day, and though it was the first time Lance had been quiet for longer than ten minutes, Keith took little pleasure from it. He felt terrible. 

 

He was angry with himself more than anything; he had exploded at Lance for no reason, blaming him for their whole situation all over again. And here he thought they had been making progress.

 

Pidge had been right though, and Keith’s Galra blood  _ had _ played a key role in them being stuck together, though he wasn’t ready to admit that just yet. He had been struggling to come to terms with his supposed alien heritage ever since finding out about it, and though the rest of the team was accepting and supportive for the most part, Keith still had times where he couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

 

Guilty that the blood running in his veins was the same as the ones who had taken Pidge’s family, and Shiro’s arm. 

Guilty that Allura and Coran’s entire race was nearly extinct because of that same connection. 

And guilty that he was still blaming others for his mistakes, not that having Galra blood had been his choice, but Lance had no control over that either, and yelling at him had gotten them nowhere. 

 

Needless to say dinner that night was tense.

 

Shiro had tried to ask them what had happened, but neither boy had answered, and Hunk had ended up explaining the situation in hushed tones with their leader. Keith could feel Shiro staring at him as they ate, knowing Hunk hadn’t withheld any of the details of his blow-up, and made a point of ignoring his gaze. Aside from Coran and Pidge chatting excitedly about her discovery, the usually steady flow of conversation was severely lacking.

 

Lance, as it turned out, was usually the one to supply topics for them to discuss at dinner, and with him giving everyone the silent treatment, no one really knew how to proceed. It was uncomfortable, but more than that, Keith could feel the heavy weight of guilt settling deeper and deeper in his gut with each passing minute. 

 

He should apologize. 

 

He should tell Lance he hadn’t meant what he had said.

 

But who would that benefit at this point? It wasn’t like what Keith had yelled hadn’t been true; he  _ did _ want to be free, but the way he had said it made it sound like he was more eager to be free of Lance than the actual goo. How was Keith supposed to explain that that hadn’t been what he meant at all?

 

_ Hey Lance, I don’t hate you, just so you know. In fact, if this glue wasn’t here I would still want to hold your hand. _

 

Yeah, no.

 

That was just ridiculous, and even the mere thought was embarrassing. Besides, how insufferable would Lance be if Keith were to confess something like that? Or, and this was inarguably worse, what if Lance didn’t feel the same way? What if he just ended up laughing in his face?

 

Still, seeing the blue paladin so gloomy wasn’t something Keith enjoyed either way, and knowing that he was the root cause just made Keith even more eager to be free of the crystallizing nectar.

 

He had always preferred to be alone when he was trying to sort things out, but that was impossible now, which only made him feel worse, leading back to wanting to be alone even more, etc. etc. 

 

It was a vicious cycle.

Allura cleared her throat, bringing him out of this melancholy thoughts.

 

“So, paladins, we had an exciting breakthrough today I hear.” Her attempt at conversation was obviously directed at Keith and Lance, but neither boy answered. Hunk made to reply instead, but Shiro cut him off.

 

“No, Hunk. Let them answer.”

 

Keith eyed the black paladin finally, who raised an eyebrow expectantly, then glanced over at Lance, who was playing with his food absently. When it was obvious he wasn’t going to speak, Keith sighed.

 

“Pidge found out something about the plant.” 

 

“Oh! And?” Allura pressed, and Keith bit back a groan. Wasn’t it clear that no one felt like talking? Couldn’t she just ask Pidge herself, who was sitting two seats away?!

 

“Apparently-” Keith began, but again Shiro interrupted. 

 

“Lance?” he asked, and the boy’s head jerked up, a large, forced smile on his face. 

 

“Hmm? What’d I miss!” he replied, a little too charismatically. Shiro frowned slightly, and Keith watched Lance out of the corner of his eye.

 

“The Princess asked you a question,” Shiro said, and Lance looked over towards her.

 

“Oh, sorry,” he smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Must have zoned out.” 

 

“That’s quite alright,” Allura admitted, and asked her question again. “I was just wondering what you learned about this plant Pidge found out about today.” 

 

Lance’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second, his lips twitching down and eyes growing watery for a just a moment, but then he was smiling again, as if nothing was wrong. It made Keith’s chest ache to see.

 

“Oh, right. Um…” he trailed off, dragging his fork around in the space goo on his plate. “It has this sticky nectar that’s like a heavy duty crazy glue. Nothing we didn’t already know.”

 

Keith blinked. Why was Lance being so vague?

 

“You’re missing the key part,” Pidge pointed out, and Keith held his breath, ready to hear what Allura would have to say about his Galra blood playing a role in things. He wasn’t prepared to sit through a dinner in which she acted like everything was fine, all the while knowing his Galra heritage had caused them yet another problem. “Apparently Galra’s-”

 

“Really like it!” Lance interrupted suddenly, his voice loud enough to drown out Pidge’s. “It’s the same colour as their fur, or hair or whatever. Apparently it’s Zarkon’s favourite flower. Maybe we should send him a bouquet.”

 

“What? No-” Pidge tried to explain, but Lance must have kicked her under the table, because the next thing Keith knew she was cursing loudly. 

 

“MOTHERFU-”

 

“Pidge!” Shiro covered her mouth before she could finish, flashing an apologetic smile at Allura. “I think that’s enough.” 

 

“Lance kicked me!” she complained, her voice muffled by Shiro’s hand. 

 

“Whoops, sorry, my foot slipped,” he shrugged, and Pidge narrowed her eyes at him. She must have realized what he was up to though, because she didn’t bother explaining the rest of what she had discovered.

 

Keith glanced over at Lance, and caught his eye briefly, but the other boy hastily looked away, focusing back on his untouched plate.

 

Why hadn’t Lance let Pidge explain about the Galra allergy being the reason they were stuck? Was he...had he been trying to prevent Allura from finding out? 

 

It was true that his relationship with the Princess had been a bit rocky since the trials of Marmora, and Allura would still shy away from him from time to time, even after she had apologized,  but had Lance picked up on that? Had he been saving Keith from having to try and defend himself against the Princess? 

 

He swallowed the lump in his throat. 

 

_ Why? _

 

If anything, he  _ deserved _ to have Allura’s scorn rain down on him after being such a dick. The last thing he had been expecting from Lance was kindness, almost like he was….protecting him? Was that right? 

 

Whatever the case, the guilt in Keith’s gut coiled tighter, and being in the same room as everyone else was quickly becoming suffocating. He needed to get away.

 

“I-uh,” he stood, and Lance finally looked up at him. “I’m not feeling too great.” 

 

Lance was on his feet immediately, collecting their dishes and tucking in their chairs. 

Hunk was watching his friend with concern.

 

“Lance, you barely ate,” he began, but Lance waved him off.

 

“Not very hungry.” He turned away from the table, and Keith followed, exiting the room without so much as a word. It wasn’t until they were halfway to Lance’s room that Keith spoke.

 

“Lance I-”

 

“Do you need a healing pod?” he interrupted, and Keith swallowed hard.

 

“No, I just needed some air.”

 

Lance nodded, not bothering to ask why as they continued down the hall. Keith couldn’t handle the awkward silence.

 

“Lance, back there-”

 

“Forget about it.” He was walking slightly ahead of Keith, eyes front and center.

 

“I don’t want to though,” Keith tried again, and Lance stopped abruptly, yanking Keith’s arm in the process.

 

“Well I do!” He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, shoulders dropping as he exhaled. “Just,” his voice was barely a whisper as he spoke, “just forget about it.” 

 

Keith could only nod in reply, and they continued on their way. 

 

When they reached Lance’s room the boy finally turned to face him.

 

“I know you probably want to be alone right now, but getting you out of that room was the best I could do,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll probably just go to sleep now so you can pretend I don’t exist and do whatever you want to feel better.” 

Again, Keith was at a loss of words, and could only stare back, eyes wide and not fully comprehending why Lance was acting this way.

 

Well, no, that was a lie. He knew exactly why Lance was being so aloof, and part of him wanted to yell at the boy for not being angry at him. Keith knew how to deal with that.

He didn’t know how to handle...whatever  _ this  _ was. 

 

He opened the door and they moved over to the bed, where Lance paused.

 

“You can have the inside this time, so you don’t have to lay on your back. I’ve seen you limping around so I know your tailbone still hurts.”

 

Keith blinked, not knowing how to respond to the kind gesture. He hadn’t known Lance even  _ remembered _ his injury from that morning, and his tailbone  _ was _ still bruised and tender. As much as Keith wanted to keep quiet and internalize his feelings, this was too much. He couldn’t go to sleep with Lance like this. 

 

He took a deep breath.

 

“No,” he said, and the boy tilted his head questioningly. 

 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind-”

 

“No!” Keith said, louder this time, and Lance flinched. He recovered quickly though, and nodded weakly. 

 

“Alright then.” 

 

He made to climb into the bed, and Keith let his impulsive behaviour take over. He had never been very good at the  talking route anyway, and now it was time for more drastic measures.

With one swift motion he shoved Lance over and down onto the mattress, jumping up and around him so that Lance’s right arm was twisted behind his back. He barely had time to gasp, much less react to Keith’s actions, and was breathing rapidly from the sudden attack, either from panic or adrenaline, or maybe a combination of the two.

 

“Keith! What are you doing-”

 

“Fight back!” he interrupted, and gave Lance’s arm a light tug. 

 

“Ouch! What the hell Keith stop!” 

 

“Not until you fight back!” 

 

“Why-OW!” Lance struggled against his grip, and Keith wrapped one leg around his waist to pin him down better. It was an awkward hold, since their hands were entwined, but it was doing the trick. Lance fought against him, trying to twist his body out and away from Keith, but he didn’t let up.

 

This was better. Keith was tired of seeing Lance depressed; tired of being ignored by him. He never thought he would admit it, but he  _ missed _ Lance’s voice; missed his dumb jokes and stupid puns.

 

And yeah, maybe he was being selfish, but this was the only way Keith knew how to make things right.

 

He just needed Lance to punch him.

 

“That all you got?” he taunted, brow already sweaty from the exertion. He needed to goad Lance; piss him off. Then the blue paladin would  _ have _ to talk to him, even if it was in the form of arguing. 

 

That was what they were good at anyway.

 

Lance brought his free arm down hard on Keith’s side in response, but Keith managed to wiggle away and avoid the full effect of the blow. He was impressed though, and said as much.

 

“Good! But not fast enough!” he panted, and Lance cursed.

 

“Shut up! This isn’t funny Keith, let me go!”

 

“No! You have to fight back!”

 

“WHY!” Lance’s voice sounded like he was near tears, and Keith bit the inside of his mouth upon hearing it. 

 

_ Because I don’t know how else to get you to talk to me! _

 

“Because you’re terrible at hand to hand combat!” he said instead, and Lance snapped. In a flurry of motion Keith hadn’t been expecting, Lance managed to flip himself over, dislodging his arm from Keith’s grip and wiggling free of his legs. In the span of a few seconds Keith found himself thoroughly pinned to the mattress with Lance straddling his hips, both arms secured tightly above his head. Keith was too shocked to do anything but blink in surprise, and stared up at the boy who had managed to gain the upper hand.

 

Lance was breathing heavily as he glared back down at him, cheeks flushed and hair askew, and Keith had to force himself to focus.

 

“Go on,” he taunted. “Hit me.” 

 

Lance’s features twisted into a menacing snarl.

 

“What’s your problem!” he demanded.

 

“Just punch me!”

 

“You’re psychotic-”

 

“And you’re a liar! Why didn’t you tell Allura about the Galra thing!?” Keith snapped back, chest heaving under Lance’s weight.

 

“Are you mad about that!? I was doing you a favour!”

 

“Why! You don’t owe me anything!”

 

“That’s not how friends work! I was being nice!”

 

“But  _ why _ !” Keith could feel his emotions getting the better of him, but let them take control. He was tired of fighting them anyways. “I don’t deserve it!”

 

Lance frowned, and Keith could see a flicker of concern wash over his features before being replaced with with a scowl that looked entirely out of place on his face.

 

“What are you talking about.” his voice was low and even; a drastic change from the previous hostile tones, like being in the eye of a storm.

 

“I was an ass to you,” Keith confessed, his breathing growing ragged. “I said things I didn’t mean. You should be mad at me! Why aren’t you-” he broke off, feeling his voice waver with emotion. 

 

_ Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry… _

 

But it was no use, and Keith’s vision went blurry as tears began to form in his ducts, pent up feelings flooding out of him like a broken dam. 

 

“I want you-” he bit his tongue, the sharp pain allowing his mind to stay focused as wet, salty tears began to flow over his cheeks. He couldn’t wipe them away though, since Lance still had his hands firmly secured. “I want you to  _ hate _ me!”

 

Lance’s eyes searched his face, eyebrows knitting together in worry as he watched Keith break down. He eased his grip, letting Keith’s free hand go and moving their entwined one to their side. 

 

“Why would I hate you,” he asked, voice softer this time, and Keith felt the guilt in his stomach clench tightly.

 

“Because I was rude to you...” he spluttered. 

 

“So what? I’m over it.”

 

“See!” Keith exclaimed. “That’s what I mean! I was a complete jerk and you just forgave me for it!”

 

“You weren’t a jerk. You were just stating the truth.”

 

“Fuck you! I was being dick and you know it!” 

 

Lance nearly smiled. “You weren’t. It’s alright, I know I’m to blame for this whole mess. It’s not your fault-” Keith interrupted him with a loud groan, shoving at his chest roughly.

 

“Why can’t you just hate me!”

 

“Why!” Lance shoved back, pushing Keith deeper into the mattress.

 

“Because it makes sense!”

 

“No, it doesn’t-”

 

“Because I’m a terrible person!”

 

“You aren’t-”

 

“Because…” he trailed off, excuses running low, and Lance tilted his head.

 

“Because?”

 

He couldn’t take it. Lance was watching him with those blue eyes, concern, worry, and a hint of humour intermingling across his features, like he wasn’t sure if Keith was being entirely serious or not. 

 

Keith shut his eyes. 

 

Lance was too good for him. When the others had been blaming him for the mishap with the flower, he had taken it; shouldered the responsibility of potentially putting them all in danger by himself. Accepted that he was the reason behind their worry. He hadn’t complained. 

 

But Keith had.

 

Keith, who had always considered himself strong minded and independent, hadn’t been able to admit that this situation was even partly his fault. He hadn’t accepted it like Lance had, and instead had whined and bickered and thrown it all back in the blue paladin's’ face at the mere thought of owning up to it. And Lance had taken it, accepting the fault once again all for the sake of letting Keith pretend he was not to blame for  _ their _ mess. 

 

It was pathetic on his part; downright shameful, and as Keith came to realize this, his resolve broke.

 

“Because I don’t deserve your love! I don’t deserve  _ you _ !”  

 

There.

He had said it. 

 

Lance gaped down at him with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open but no words coming out. Keith stared back, bottom lip trembling as he waited for a reply.

 

But Lance didn’t say anything, instead shifting so he was no longer straddling Keith’s hips, and sat down on the edge of the bed with his back turned to him. Keith sat up after a moment, not knowing what to do.

 

“What makes you think you get to decide if you’re deserving of my love?” Lance’s voice was barely a whisper, but his words resonated around inside Keith’s head.

 

“What?” he asked softly, and Lance turned to face him.

 

“You think you just get to choose my feelings for me?” his tone was growing louder, angrier, and Keith was shocked by the abrupt change.

 

“I-I don’t understand…”

 

“Neither do I!” Lance was practically shouting now, words echoing off the walls of his room. “I don’t understand! I don’t get you at all! One moment we’re fine, and the next we’re at each other's throats! It’s like, just when I’m figuring out my feelings for you, you go and make me doubt them! It’s exhausting and I’m-” he broke off, taking a deep breath and raising his eyes to meet Keith’s. 

 

“I like you Keith, but sometimes you make it  _ so _ hard-” he fell silent as Keith lurched forward, wrapping his free arm around Lance’s neck and pulling him in close. He could feel Lance freeze under him, and held his breath, waiting for the other boy to push him away.

 

But after a moment a hand hesitantly made it’s way across Keith’s back, pulling him in tighter once it was established that it was ok. Keith released the breath he had been holding, and let his body melt into Lance’s, head falling onto the blue paladins shoulder like it belonged there. Lance supported them with their entwined hands on the bed, letting more of Keith’s weight fall onto him.

 

It was an awkward mess of a hug, bodies twisted at a strange angle on the bed, but Keith never wanted it to end. Lance  _ liked _ him! That was more than he deserved, Keith knew, but he could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves; the tight coil of guilt in his gut unraveling slightly to allow him a proper breath. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he spoke into Lance’s shirt, and the boy pulled back slightly to stare down at him.

 

“For what?” Lance asked gently, a small smile on his face. Keith could tell this one was genuine.

 

“For everything,” he sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I said those things. I’m sorry I blamed you. I’m sorry I couldn’t accept that this is my fault too. I’m sorry-”

 

“Shhh, Keith,” Lance said with a soft chuckle, pulling him down into his chest again. He leaned back further this time though, until they were lying on the bed, with Keith practically sprawled across the lankier boys’ body. “I’m sorry too.”

 

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Keith admonished, and Lance chuckled again, the sound vibrating in his chest and making Keith’s insides twist in unexpected delight.

 

“Just let me have this,” he said, his free hand beginning to trace small circles on Keith’s back lazily, and Keith fought the strong urge to purr. He shook his head against Lance’s chest instead.

 

“No. I’m the one that’s sorry. I’m not accepting your apology. I was a complete ass and I want you to accept that.”

 

He could sense rather than see the grin on Lance’s face as he spoke again.

 

“Why are you like this?” 

 

Keith lifted his head finally, and stared down at Lance intensely.

 

“I’m serious Lance. I let you take all the blame when I  _ knew _ it was my fault as well. That wasn’t fair of me. I want you to admit that!”

 

Lance watched him for a moment, then took a deep, resigned breath.

 

“Fine, yes. You were kind of an ass today. You made me feel terrible and guilty and had me wishing I had never touched that stupid plant even more than I already had. Is that what you want to hear?”

 

Keith bit his lower lip, the pain of knowing he had caused Lance so much grief because he was a selfish prick slowly choking him.

 

“I’m so sorry,” he said again, voice low. “I was out of line and being dumb and-” he paused, “I even yelled at Hunk! What kind of sick person yells at Hunk!” 

 

Lance laughed, his eyes creasing in the corners as his free hand ran through his hair.

 

“I think that pissed me off more than anything actually,” he admitted after a moment, and Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, thoroughly disgusted with himself.

 

“I don’t think I can ever face him again.”

 

“Don’t worry” Lance reassured him. “Hunk doesn’t hold grudges. He’ll forgive you. He probably already has.”

 

Keith let his hand fall, resting it lightly on Lance’s stomacht. He stared down at it.

 

“And,” he began slowly, voice barely a whisper, “what about you?”

 

A small smile greeted him when he looked up, and Lance cocked an eyebrow when they made eye contact.

 

“I think it’ll take a few more hugs-” he broke off as Keith fell back down on top of him, free arm reaching around Lance’s neck and holding tight. He heard Lance’s sharp inhale of breath at the sudden movement, then felt his hair ruffle as he exhaled slowly. 

 

“Yep,” he chuckled, voice a bit strained, “that’ll do it!”

 

Keith snuggled closer into his chest in reply. He could hear Lance’s heartbeat loud and clear, and was pleased to find it pulsing just as quickly as his own. The melodic thumping soon had him yawning though, and Lance tilted his head at the sound.

 

“You tired?”

 

Keith nodded, making a noise of agreement in the back of his throat. 

 

“How! You napped for like, three hours today!”

 

“Yeah well, being around you twenty-four seven is exhausting,” Keith mumbled back, and Lance scoffed.

 

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I like sleeping  _ underneath _ the blankets, not on top of them, so you’re going to have to move.”

 

“No…” Keith complained, and Lance’s chest bounced as he chuckled. 

 

“I didn’t know you were so cuddly,” he teased, and had Keith been less exhausted, he would have argued that no, he was not ‘cuddly’. Lance was just warm and soft and the mere thought of moving was currently unimaginable. When it became obvious that Keith had no intention of moving, Lance sighed. 

 

“If you don’t move I’m going to have to flip you over like I did earlier...” 

 

“That was a fluke,” Keith retorted, lifting his head to stare up at Lance with a pout. He was met with a cocky grin.

 

“I knew that would work,” the blue paladin mumbled, “and it was not. I beat you fair and square.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Keith shot back, but shifted his body off of Lance so they could reach the blanket underneath them, just in case he was being serious. Lance tugged it up, then pointed at Keith’s feet.

 

“Take your shoes off you gremlin!” 

 

Keith made a noise of complaint but did as he was told, tossing them haphazardly across the room. Lance watched him with an amused smirk.

 

“Look at you, acting like you own the place.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes.

 

“Hurry up and move so we can cuddle again.” 

 

It was amazing what a few simple words could do to a man, and Keith had the satisfaction of watching Lance dissolve into a blubbering mess as he scrambled to get beneath the sheets, face nearly as red as Keith’s jacket. 

 

As soon as he was settled Keith shifted so his head was back on Lance’s chest, their glued hand resting on the pillow beside them comfortably. Keith let his free hand roam across Lance’s stomach teasingly, before coming to a rest on the other side of his ribcage and snuggling in closer.

 

Lance released an unsteady breath, rocking Keith’s body gently with the motion.

 

“So,” he said after a while, “does this mean you like me back?”

 

“No,” Keith mumbled, “I’m just sleeping like this because my tailbone hurts.”

 

Lance was quiet for a moment, and Keith realized he may have taken him seriously. He lifted his head to look at him.

 

“I’m joking.”

 

“You need to work on that,” Lance replied, though visibly relieved.

 

“Apparently,” Keith sighed contently, letting his head fall back onto Lance’s chest. “I’ve been told I have the sense of humour of a stick.”

 

Lance snorted, and Keith couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

He  _ much _ preferred this version of the boy, and it was even better knowing he was the cause behind Lance’s smiles, not the reason they were missing.

 

“No, but really,” Lance’s voice was hesitant as he regained his composure, but Keith knew what he was after.

 

“Yes,” he replied before Lance could finish, “of course I like you.”

 

“Ok but  _ like _ like, or-”

 

Keith sighed again, rolling his eyes in the process. 

 

“Laannnceee…” he whined, “go to sleep.” 

 

Lance’s quiet laughter was like the gentle rocking of waves, and Keith drifted off to the sound and feeling of genuine happiness.

 

***

 

Lance awoke the next morning with a sharp pain in his right arm and a mouthful of black hair. He tried shifting, but found himself thoroughly weighed down by Keith, who was sprawled across him like a large cat, or a very moody dog.

 

He groaned quietly at Lance’s attempts at freedom.

 

“Keith,” Lance whispered, but the boy was silent. “Keith buddy, my arm is dead I need to move it.”

 

No reply.

 

Lance huffed, knowing the red paladin had heard him and was either choosing to ignore him or had promptly fallen back asleep, and accepted his fate. He laid there for a few more minutes, but when the pins and needles started up in his hand, he couldn’t take it anymore.

 

“Nope!” He lurched forward, freeing his arm from underneath Keith and shaking it lightly, the skin feeling like sharp static.

 

Keith, who had been flung to the side during the movement, slowly lifted his head, hair plastered to the side of his face.

 

“Why are you so mean…” he pouted groggily, his left arm shaking slightly from Lance’s efforts of reviving his own, and let his face fall into the pillow beside them, grumbling away incoherently.

 

Lance chuckled, the pain slowly fading as blood rushed back into the extremity. He turned over onto his side to face Keith.

 

“I’m not mean. I let you hoard my arm all night with no complaint.”

 

Keith groaned again, and Lance wondered how he could breathe with his face smushed into the pillow as it was. He reached out and tucked a few strands of black hair behind the boy's ear, but Keith turned his head away with a grunt of protest.

 

“Wow,” Lance mumbled with a grin, “and here I thought you were a morning person. What happened to wanting to train?” 

 

He saw Keith’s shoulders rise and fall as he took a deep breath, and suddenly the boy was rolling over straight into Lance’s chest, head tucked under his chin and nuzzling deeper into the crook of Lance’s shoulder. Lance looked down in surprise, a feeling of warmth blossoming in his heart at having Keith so near. 

 

“Not that I’m complaining,” he cooed, using his free hand to stroke Keith’s back gently. “I wish I had known before how cuddly you were.”

 

“Not cuddly,” Keith muttered, voice still heavy with sleep, and Lance laughed.

 

“Yeah, ok, whatever you say,” but that was the extent of his teasing. He  _ loved _ cuddly Keith, and didn’t want to risk him moving away.

 

As it was they ended up sleeping for another few hours, Lance cradling Keith in his arms as best he could with their attached hands. It was Coran that came to wake them next by knocking on the door with soft urgency. Keith sighed heavily at the sound.

 

“Guess we should get up,” he whispered, and Lance nodded in reply, stifling a yawn in the process. 

 

“Paladins?” Coran’s voice was muffled on the other side of the door.

 

“Be right out,” Lance called back, sitting up slowly and stretching his body.

 

“No rush!” Coran answered, “Take your time!” and then his footsteps could be heard retreating down the hallway.

 

Keith and Lance exchanged confused looks.

 

“What was that all about?” he asked, and Keith shrugged.

 

“Don’t know, but he said take our time, so let’s hit the training deck before breakfast.”

 

Lance quirked an eyebrow at him, incredulous. “Oh,  _ now _ you want to train?”

 

Keith tilted his head questioningly. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“This morning you refused to get off my arm, and when I mentioned training you actually groaned.”

 

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Keith said, and Lance scoffed.

 

“Believe it Mullet, because then you snuggled right back up to me and passed out.” 

 

Keith’s face was unreadable as he spoke again.

 

“Hmm...you sure?”

 

“Pretty sure.”

 

Keith shrugged. “Well, I don’t remember it, so it didn’t happen.”

 

Lance went to open his mouth with a reply, but shut it promptly after making the connection.He had said those exact words after Keith had claimed they had had a bonding moment oh so long ago, and though Lance did in fact remember it, it had been funnier at the time to deny the whole thing and see Keith pout. He now knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of things.

 

“Oh, I see how it is,” he muttered, and Keith bit back a grin. “Touché.” 

 

“Come on then,” Keith said as he shimmied off the bed and donned his boots. “Time’s a wastin!” 

 

Lance found himself missing the grumpy sleepy head from earlier, but followed suite without much complaint.  

 

As it was, training that morning went much better than before, with only a few minor scratches. Lance found he was able to read Keith’s body movements better, and made mental notes as to which direction he would roll depending on the tension in the boy's’ left arm; his fingers tightening around Lance’s a moment before he would dodge a blow, or aim one of his own.

 

And Keith, Lance admitted, was actually a pretty good teacher. He knew Lance’s strengths and weaknesses surprisingly well, and gave him constructive criticism when and where it was needed. As much as Lance appreciated the pointers, his favourite thing by far was hearing Keith praise him.

 

He didn’t let it show, but whenever Keith said ‘good job’ or sent an approving smile in his direction, Lance felt a small bubble of joy form in his stomach. If Keith wasn’t careful Lance figured he may well float away from sheer happiness.

 

By the end, both boys were sweaty, sore, and starving, but thrilled with the progress they had made in only a day. Lance felt a little bit more competent in the hand to hand combat area of things, and figured he would maybe be able to hold his own if it came down to it, at least until Keith came to his rescue.

 

They were laughing together as they exited the room.

 

“Hey, you know,” Lance said as they made their way down the hall, and Keith glanced over at him with a smile. “I could teach you a bit about ranged attacks, if you want. Like, you could use my bayard and do some target practice later on…” he trailed off at the expression Keith was making; face drenched in so much adoration that Lance had to look away lest his heart jump out of his chest.

 

“Yeah,” he replied softly, “I’d like that.”

 

Lance beamed, and they continued on their way to the kitchen, chatting contently, never once mentioning their hands.

 

They were chuckling at something Lance had said when they entered the dining room, but immediately stopped upon seeing the entire rest of the crew there, sitting around the table. They all turned to stare at them, and Pidge rolled her eyes.

 

“See! Told you they were doing something nasty,” she gestured to them, and Lance froze, totally forgetting that he and Keith were still sweaty and disheveled from training. 

 

“We weren’t-” he began, but Keith cut him off.

 

“Sorry,” he said with a shrug, and pulled Lance over to the counter to grab some food. Lance was stunned, face turning red as he felt the others’ eyes on them. But he was also extremely flattered that Keith hadn’t corrected Pidge, especially after yesterday’s misunderstanding. They sat down at the table across from Hunk, who was watching them with an amused smirk.

 

“So-” he started, but Coran spoke over him, standing to get their attention.

 

“I have important news,” he stated, and both Keith and Lance turned to stare at him. “We have found something that may help your case.”

 

“What!”

 

“Really?”

 

Both boys had spoken at once, and exchanged a quick look before turning back to Coran.

 

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner!” Keith asked, and Coran shrugged.

 

“I came to get you this morning if you recall.”

 

“Yeah but,” Lance added, “you told us to take our time.”

 

Coran, astonishingly, blushed, and began twiddling the end of his mustache between two fingers. Allura turned towards him, eyes wide.

 

“Coran! I told you to tell them it was important! We’ve been waiting here for nearly a varga!”

 

“Well-I,” he spluttered, and Shiro, surprisingly, came to his rescue.

 

“It’s fine Princess. They’re here now, so let’s just tell them.”

 

Allura didn’t look impressed, but did as Shiro suggested. Lance noticed the quick glance that Coran and Shiro shared as she turned back to face them with spark of curiosity. What was that about? And why had Coran told them to take their time if this was clearly a time sensitive matter?

 

“We’ve located the planet Pidge discovered, and learned the name of the plant whose nectar has rendered you both defenseless.”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t say  _ defenseless _ exactly-” Lance started, and Keith finished for him.

 

“We can still fight!” He side-eyed Lance with a reassuring smirk. “And not too badly either.”

 

“Regardless,” Allura went on, ignoring the way the blue paladin had turned a bright red, “neither of you can pilot your lion, which leaves us vulnerable. I’ve already plotted the coordinates for the planet.”

 

“Ok,” Lance rubbed his eyes in thought, having recovered from the previous subtle compliment from Keith. “But according to Pidge this place is full of those sticky plants. Why would we go back! Isn’t that dangerous?” 

 

“Yes, definitely,” Pidge stood, pushing her laptop towards them and pointing at the screen. “But after translating more of this entry, I have reason to believe that a cure can be found on the planet. Why else would the Galra even bother mentioning it otherwise?”

 

Lance glanced over at Keith at the mention of the Galra, realizing that Pidge had probably told Allura what she had  _ actually _ discovered, and saw him sink down in his chair. He was staring down at his plate, most likely anticipating a lecture from the Princess, but Allura didn’t bother. She either didn’t care, or was more preoccupied with the progress they had made than the details behind their situation to bother bringing it up. 

 

Keith visibly relaxed as she spoke again, adding on to Pidge’s train of thought.

 

“Exactly,” she said. “And if the Galra have such a severe reaction to the plant, then it would only make sense for there to be a remedy, otherwise the planet would have been destroyed decapheebs ago.” 

 

“That makes sense,” Hunk agreed aloud, “and maybe we can experiment on the plant a bit as well. Learn from it and-”

 

“Use it against the Galra,” Pidge finished, and they all turned to gape at her in shock. Only Allura was nodding.

 

“I was going to say maybe use it as a honey replacement, but that works too,” Hunk spluttered, looking over at Keith with worry. Lance turned to stare at the red paladin as well, concerned that the statement had made him uncomfortable in any way, seeing as he was part Galra, but the boy didn’t looked phased in the least. If anything his eyes were scheming with new ideas, similar to how Pidge’s looked seventy-five percent of the time. 

 

It was a bit frightening.

 

“If we can harness the nectar from these plants then it could pose a useful mechanism against our enemy. It’s not fatal unless left untreated, and would hinder the Galra by providing us with a secret weapon. Hunk,” she turned to him, and he jumped in his seat with the sudden call-out. 

 

“Yeah-uh, yes?”

 

“I’m going to need your skills as an engineer to come up with a design for a weapon once we reach the planet. I’ll also need a means of harvesting and transporting the nectar onto the ship without resulting in any further mishaps. Can you do that?”

 

Hunk blinked, then stood abruptly, face determined as his mind spun with possibilities. Lance watched his best friend with a grin, knowing Hunk would be all over this project.

 

“Yes ma'am!” he saluted, then marched off. Pidge ran after him.

 

“Wait up! I want to help!”

 

And with that they were gone. Allura turned back to Lance and Keith and steepled her fingers.

 

“Right. Well, with that settled, I suppose the only thing left to do is open a warp and send you two down to search for the remedy.”

 

“Hold up-” Lance started, but Keith was louder.

 

“You want  _ us _ to go down there? By ourselves?!” 

 

Allura smirked, which was unsettling. 

 

“I thought you just said you and Lance could still fight?” she replied coyly, and Keith faltered, settling himself deeper in his chair. Lance would have laughed at her snark had he not also been included in the statement. How the hell were they supposed to find a cure when they were attached at the hand? They couldn’t even pilot a lion, much less traverse new terrain and avoid sticky hell plants at the same time!

 

He said as much.

 

“Um, Allura, hate to break it to you, but Keith and I, however awesome, aren’t really the  _ best _ options for this.”

 

Allura turned towards him, the look on her face enough to send shivers down his spine.

 

“You got yourselves into this mess, you can get yourselves out,” she stated, and Lance bit his tongue.

 

_ Savage. _

_ But fair point. _

 

“You won’t be alone,” Shiro assured them after a moment, eyeing Allura with a curious expression. He was probably just as surprised by her brisk attitude. “I’ll be going with you. We’ll take the black lion down and see what we can find, then alert the others once we’ve found something and begin collecting some of the nectar.”

 

Keith was nodding, but Lance was less convinced.

 

“Yeah ok, but I still don’t see why Keith and I have to go along. Couldn’t we just use those drone things instead? Scout from above, that sort of thing?” 

 

Shiro was shaking his head, but it was Coran who answered.

 

“It’ll be a good training exercise!” he enthused. “Bonding for forming Voltron and all that.”

 

“We’ve already mastered forming Voltron,” Keith pointed out, and Coran shrugged. 

 

“Then bonding for the sake of bonding.” Both Keith and Lance turned away from each other in an effort to hide their blushes. Coran was practically beaming. 

 

“Besides,” Shiro went on, “Hunk and Pidge will be busy with creating that device, and Allura needs to stay and pilot the ship.”

 

“Typical,” the Princess muttered under her breath, but Shiro didn’t hear.

 

“And Coran will be,” he paused, and turned to the orange haired alien. “What exactly was your plan again?”

 

“I will be monitoring you all from here, making sure nothing bad happens. I may also take a nap.”

 

Keith groaned as Lance chuckled despite himself; Coran watching them with an amused smile. He patted Shiro on the shoulder as he turned to leave the room, leaning his head in close to whisper something to their leader.

 

“Remember the-”

 

“I got it, don’t worry,” Shiro whispered back, and Coran nodded, exiting the room with a spring in his step. Lance watched him leave, then turned to Shiro with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Remember what?” he asked, and Shiro shrugged.

 

“Not to let you two kill each other down there.”

 

“Wow, ok, rude.” 

 

Keith huffed beside him, crossing his arms as best he could with Lance still attached to his left hand.

 

“Do you have any idea where to even look for this ‘cure’? Or are we just going to wander around a planet like lost souls and hope it jumps out as us.”

 

Shiro put his hands on his hip and quirked an eyebrow slyly.

 

“Well hopefully nothing ‘jumps out at us’, but yes. Basically.”

 

“Ugh, super. Can’t wait,” Keith grumbled, and Lance glanced over at him.

 

“C’mon it won’t be that bad. Besides, I thought you were all about bonding moments.” Lance beamed innocently at the glare Keith shot in his direction.

 

“Oh you wanna go there? Because you didn’t seem to be complaining last night-” 

 

“Alright that’s enough,” Shiro interrupted. “Let’s go suit up.”

 

Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith as they exited the room, Allura following behind them but turning right at the door instead of left.

 

“We should be there shortly. I’ll alert you when you can exit the lion bay Shiro,” she informed them, and when he nodded in reply, left for the control room. Shiro watched her leave, then sighed and gestured for Keith and Lance to follow him to his lion.

 

“Now,” he said as they walked, “neither of you will be able to dawn your paladin armour, so we’ll just grab your bayards and hope the atmosphere isn’t toxic. Allura will let us know when we get there.”

 

“And what if it is?” Lance asked, Keith walking closely at his side.

 

“Then we’ll improvise.”

 

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Keith complained, and Shiro chuckled softly in reply. Lance wasn’t too sure how he felt about that.

 

Once they had gathered up their equipment, Allura’s voice sounded into Shiro’s com, stating that the planet was safe enough for humans, and that they could embark on their mission right away.

 

They headed down into the black lion’s bay area, and Lance found himself shocked by the sheer size of it. Sure he had seen the it up close before, but actually being up that high in the cockpit was disorientating. He found himself missing Blue, and sent out a few reassuring thoughts her way to let her know that he wasn’t abandoning her. 

 

Keith looked even more impressed, which made sense, since his lion was the smallest. Lance said as much.

 

“Scared of heights?” he teased as Keith peered out the side window, eyes wide. His head jerked around to stare at Lance, face serious as he replied.

 

“No? I’m a pilot. Why would I be scared of heights?”

 

“...it was a jok-nevermind,” Lance shook his head, having forgotten how many things went over Keith’s. It was endearing really, and reminded him of a character from a movie he had seen once who shared similar traits with the red paladin. Both were strong, impulsive, and quick with reflexes, but lacked the certain subtlety that accompanied metaphors and sayings. Both were much too literal for their own good, but Keith was definitely more attractive. And softer, probably. 

Definitely more cuddly...

 

Lance cleared his mind of the thoughts, turning his attention to Shiro, who was getting ready to take off.

 

“Can’t wait to see how our fearless leader pilot his lion,” he said, leaning his free arm over the back of Shiro’s chair casually. 

 

“If you don’t sit down you won’t see much of anything, because you’ll be knocked out,” Shiro replied matter-of-factly. Lance scoffed. 

 

“I have the balance of a cat, I’ll be fine.” 

 

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Shiro muttered, and suddenly they were flying. Lance was pulled back as Keith tumbled down with the sudden force of the motion, resulting in a very similar situation as their first training session together. Keith pushed Lance off of him with a curse and shoved himself down on the bench in the back, dragging the blue paladin along with him.

 

“A little warning would be nice next time!” he called out, and Lance could have sworn he heard Shiro mumble a sarcastic “whoops” in reply. 

 

The flight didn’t take long, but Shiro was piloting a bit more drastically than Lance would have called for. Several times he took a corner too sharp, resulting in either Keith squishing into Lance, or vice versa. They stopped apologising to each other after the first few times. 

 

“Shiro learn to fly properly!” Keith managed to shout after a particularly sudden turn, his cheeks smushed against the side of the wall as Lance was pushed into him. It reminded him of when he and his siblings would play the game ‘corners’ in the vehicle on long road trips, but Keith was less tolerant than Lance’s brothers and sisters apparently, and shoved against him with his elbow. “Move over! You’re so heavy!”

 

“I’m trying!” Lance protested. Though he usually enjoyed the game, and being pressed up against Keith was an added bonus, even he was getting a little annoyed by Shiro’s antics.

 

“It’s just turbulence!” Shiro called back to them, but Lance could hear the humour in his voice. Was Shiro doing this on purpose? And if so...why?!

 

They landed shortly thereafter, and Keith shoved past Lance to push their leader  back down in his seat when he made to stand.

 

“You’re the worst,” he grumbled, but the black paladin was laughing, and when he made to stand again, Keith let him. He gestured to the door theatrically.

 

“Shall we?”

 

***

 

Keith was not in a great mood. 

 

The air on this planet was hot and stuffy, his arm was sore from having to accommodate Lance’s constant stumbling, and there were purple flowers  _ everywhere. _

 

Literally. 

 

They grew on rocks, tree branches, even in areas completely submerged by what looked like water, but was a pale green colour that gave off a pungent odour. 

 

Keith hadn’t known plants could grow in such curious places, and where he had initially been amazed by the sight, after an hour or so of searching, he was less enthusiastic. It didn’t help that they had no idea what they were actually looking for, and both Shiro and Lance were  _ way _ too happy-go-lucky about the whole situation for Keith to find appropriate. 

 

So yeah, he was in bad mood. 

 

The other’s were beginning to pick up on it.

 

“Hey Keith, turn that frown upside down!” Lance chanted beside him, narrowly missing one of the purple plants in the process. Keith glared at him.

 

“I swear to fuck Lance, if you get another part of you stuck to me I won’t hesitate in cutting it off.”

 

“What if it’s your other hand?” he quipped back, and Keith raised an eyebrow.

 

“I’m pretty capable with a knife.”

 

“Yikes, noted,” Lance gulped, moving to walk behind him as the path narrowed. “But, you know, there’s no need to worry. We only just started looking.”

 

“And  _ what _ exactly are we looking  _ for _ Lance!” Keith snapped back, his voice coming out angrier than he had anticipated. He felt a slight tug on his left arm as Lance paused, but paid it no mind. 

 

He was tired. And frustrated. And Lance was being annoyingly optimistic. He wondered briefly if his Galra genetics had anything to do with his foul mood, seeing as he was now surrounded by plants he was apparently allergic to, but it didn’t seem worth mentioning to the others, so he kept the thought to himself.

 

“We’ll find it,” Shiro intervened before Lance could reply, turning to look back at them from his position in the lead. “Just be patient. Remember, patience-” 

 

“Yields focus,” Keith finished mockingly. “I’m aware. But your stupid saying isn’t helping.” For some reason every little thing was setting him off, and though he hated the way his voice had sounded, he also didn’t bother changing it. He  _ wanted  _ to get angry.

 

“Keith,” Shiro tried, noticing his bad attitude, but Lance was faster.

 

“Hey, don’t take this out on Shiro,” he said, and when Keith turned to glare at him he saw that Lance was uncharacteristically serious. “If you’re mad then direct it at me,” he continued. “I’m the reason we’re in this mess to begin with anyways. Shiro’s just trying to help, and you should be too.”

 

“Lance it’s fine-” Shiro started, but Lance wasn’t having it. He stepped closer to Keith and lowered his voice so it was more reassuring than reprimanding. 

 

“Look, I know this sucks, and this planet smells way too sweet to be healthy, but try and keep a positive attitude. We’ll solve this. And if not,” he shrugged, “then we’ll come up with something else.”

 

Keith felt his face burn at having been scolded, and glared at the ground in front of him. He felt the anger dissipate as Lance’s words washed over him however, and let out a heavy sigh. 

 

Lance was right, and as much as it pained him to admit it, Keith was being unreasonable. 

Unreasonable and selfish, once again.

 

“It’s not your fault,” he mumbled. “Not  _ all _ your fault anyways.” He raised his head to stare Lance in the eyes, blue irises shrinking slightly as his pupils dilated. “You’re right.” 

 

He turned to Shiro.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Shiro, who had been watching the whole exchange with mild bafflement, grinned in response, clapping a hand down on Keith’s shoulder reassuringly. 

 

“It’s alright. This planet isn’t my favourite either, but we’ll find something soon.”

 

Keith could only nod in return, sighing as they continued on their way. Lance was right.

He just needed a positive outlook. They  _ would _ find something, even if it took hours. And if they didn’t well...they would deal with that later.

 

Keith took a deep breath and began searching with renewed vigour, and tried to ignore the coals of anger still burning away in his gut, as if waiting for an opportunity to flare up. Maybe he  _ should _ mention that to the others…

 

No.

It was stupid. There was no way his mood would be affected by plants, even if he was part Galra. Allergies didn’t work that way, at least...he didn’t think they did.

 

It didn’t matter either way, and Keith forced himself to stay focused on not tripping and keeping an eye out for anything that could possibly be a cure as they continued their search.

 

Unfortunately, no amount of positive attitude changed the outcome of their efforts. 

 

After several more hours of wandering around the planet, barely avoiding three more accidents with the plants, even Lance was showing signs of dampened spirits. Keith’s anger hadn’t re-surfaced, but there was a heaviness in his chest that he couldn’t quite place, as if someone had been adding weights to his clothing throughout the day. He felt absolutely drained.

 

They returned to the ship without saying much, Shiro flying much smoother than before, which only solidified Keith’s suspicions that he had been purposely awful before.

 

Allura greeted them with a small smile as they entered the control room. Coran was there as well, but Hunk and Pidge were absent. Keith hoped  _ they _ had at least made some progress.

 

“Any news?” she asked, and Shiro stepped forward to respond.

 

“Nothing yet. I took some scans that I’ll get Pidge to check over later, but unfortunately there was nothing that really stood out as a cure. What about on your end?”

 

“The ship took a few scans of the planet as well, and I’m in the process of deciphering that data,” Coran supplied, and Allura nodded.

 

“Yes, and Hunk has fashioned a device to begin collecting the nectar of the plants. He and Pidge are still working on the weapon as of yet, but for now we can at least begin storing the substance.” 

 

Shiro was nodding, and as they continued to relay the events of their day, Keith nudged Lance in the side gently.

 

“Hey,” he whispered, and Lance leaned down to hear him better. “Can we just grab something to eat and go to sleep?”

 

Lance stared down at him for a moment, reading his expression, and nodded. 

 

“For sure,” he whispered back, and they left the room without anyone noticing. 

 

Keith wasn’t really in a cuddly mood when they got back to Lance’s room, and moved to sit on the bed without saying much. He could tell Lance was watching him, maybe hoping he would say something to instigate a conversation, but Keith just wasn’t feeling it. He was disappointed to say the least. Sure, they had only searched for a day, but he had sort of been expecting to find the cure right away. And this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach was wearing him down. 

 

Now he had to wait longer. Which meant another night of the nectar crystallizing. Another day gone and bringing him closer to an unknown deadline. Galra apparently had a week before the process was finished, but Keith wasn’t sure how that translated with his half-human genetics. 

 

Was it faster? Longer? Would he be forced to remove the hand entirely? What would that mean for him? Would he be able to pilot Red still? Would Pidge or Hunk design him a new hand like Shiro’s? What would the recovery time be for something like that?

 

The unknowns were piling up, and Keith couldn’t help but begin to feel their suffocating weight as he laid down on the mattress, shuffling over so Lance had room. 

 

He felt the bed shift downwards as Lance crawled in, but didn’t look over. He couldn’t. He might break down if he did.

 

So instead he glared at the wall, feeling Lance’s blue eyes watch him, and hearing him sigh in resignation as he laid down himself, respecting Keith’s apparent desire for silence. 

 

Keith let himself worry for a few torturous minutes, but as sleep began to overtake him, his overbearing thoughts loosened their grip on his mind, and he relaxed slightly. With the relaxation came a new set of realizations. 

 

He shouldn’t be taking this out on Lance. He  _ wasn’t _ , but he doubted Lance knew that, and that wasn’t fair. Besides, he had to admit, cuddling up next to the blue paladin was remarkably addicting, and his body craved the warmth that he knew Lance would supply. 

 

With that in mind, and without saying a word, Keith rolled over onto his side and into Lance’s, letting their entwined hands rest comfortably between them, and sighed contently.

 

Lance tensed for a brief moment, then curled his free arm around Keith’s lower back and pulled him in closer, resting his head on top of Keith’s with a long exhale. It wasn’t as flirty as last night had been, but somehow felt more intimate. There was no awkwardness either, and as Keith let his eyes shut and relish the feel of Lance’s arm wrapped tightly around him, he decided he much preferred this to sleeping alone. 

 

Who wouldn’t? 

 

Lance smelled nice, which was odd considering they had spent the day on a strange planet, but none of those odours were present on his skin. He was also warm in a comforting way, and the sound of his heartbeat in Keith’s ear was like a lullaby, encouraging him to drift further into sleep.

 

But more than any of those things, being in Lance’s arms made Keith feel safe; something he wasn’t used to experiencing, especially considering they were in the middle of an alien war. It was an odd feeling, but one Keith wanted to hold onto; as if Lance was a lighthouse guiding him out of his troubled thoughts. 

 

Keith turned towards that light, let it blind him; engulf him entirely. And when he sunk deeper into the mattress, feeling the weight of Lance’s arm on his skin, Keith let himself go, knowing Lance wouldn’t let him drown.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter what's up!
> 
> As promised...I present you with Klance fluff and bonding moments!   
> Yay for bonding moments!  
> Alas the angst is still in full throttle, but I regret nothing >:) 
> 
> Also poor Keith, allergies are the worst, especially when they start messing with your emotions and what not, but it's a good thing Lance is there to supply much needed cuddles.
> 
> Hopefully they find something soon....
> 
> Be sure to leave kudos and comments! I love hearing feedback from the lovely humans that read my work and often give hints into what's to come or provide backstory where it's needed when asked (wink wink)  
> I'm hoping to finish this fic soon so be on the lookout for the next update (should be sooner than this one).
> 
> Ta~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A starling revelation causes some explosive outbursts, but maybe the separation of Keith and Lance is what brings them the closest.

 

It was another three days of searching when Keith finally snapped.

 

They had been taking a short break in a clearing when Allura informed them of an incoming storm, warning them to head back to the ship as soon as they reached the black lion. Shiro stood, his reply having not gone through apparently, and went to seek better reception higher up. 

 

Lance watched him go, traversing a pile of rocks a ways out from where they were sitting, and that’s when Keith had spoken.

 

“What’s the point anymore,” he muttered, and Lance turned to stare at him. It was the first time Keith had talked since that morning, and even that had only been the bare minimum of human communications; things like ‘morning’, and ‘thank you’. Lance _ hated _ it, but he hadn’t wanted to push him, knowing that Keith would likely not tell him anything anyways.

 

“What do you mean?” he asked after recovering from the momentary shock of hearing Keith’s voice. “It’s just a storm, it’ll pass-”

 

“But what’s the point!” Keith threw his free hand in the air angrily and turned his head to look at Lance, his expression fierce, if not pleading, as if begging him to give a proper answer. Lance wasn’t sure how to provide one.

 

“Keith it’s fine, we can keep looking after the storm-”

 

“I don’t give a  _ fuck _ about the storm Lance!” Keith shouted, and Lance froze, not expecting the brisk attitude, much less so much hostility to be directed towards him. It was true that days of searching with little to no results had left them all a bit worn to say the least, but Lance was still hopeful they would find something.

 

He had to be, since Keith had been so quick to give in to despair recently, always considering other options. Options like chopping off their hands, which Lance was, understandably, not very fond of.

 

He knew Keith was just worried about the whole crystallization thing, and it  _ was _ starting to spread a little too quickly for Lance’s liking, but he couldn’t say so. 

 

_ Wouldn’t  _ say so.

 

It would do them no good to admit something like that, and Lance didn’t want to risk Keith’s mood becoming worse. Ever since their first day on the dreadful planet, Keith had grown more and more moody, though he hid it from Shiro and the others fairly well. But Lance knew there was something wrong every night when Keith would curl into him and clutch at his clothing with this sort of  _ urgency _ that had Lance increasingly worried about him. It was like, once in the safety of Lance’s room, the facade would break, and Keith would shut down.

 

Lance knew the red paladin was panicking about the idea of them being stuck together, possibly forever, and had been withdrawing into himself as the days progressed, but with Keith’s entire persona becoming more monotone, he was at a loss. He couldn’t follow the boy into the dark corners of his mind, try as he might, and it wasn’t like he could just  _ ask _ someone for help, since Keith was  _ always _ with him, and he would hate to put him in that sort of position.

 

So Lance had been trying his best to keep Keith positive about things, and there were moments when everything almost seemed normal, like during their morning training, but even then Lance could tell that Keith wasn’t fully into it. He was depressed, and it was frightening. 

 

Lance  _ missed _ Keith. 

 

He enjoyed their conversations; his company. He liked hearing him speak, and seeing Keith so visibly unhappy was like having a corkscrew wind deeper into his chest. Each heavy sigh, every downcast look, and all those painful nights where Keith wouldn’t say  _ anything, _ were slowly destroying Lance.  And now, with Keith  _ yelling _ at him, finally saying  _ something _ , Lance wasn’t at all sure if he should be angry or jumping for joy. So he just froze.

 

“I want this to be over!” Keith continued, voice growing louder as his frustrations took over. “I want to fly my lion, and-and train with  _ both _ arms! I want to be  _ free _ of  _ this _ !” He gestured to their hands savagely, and Lance tried to not to take his words personal. He knew Keith was hurting; knew how much he valued his privacy, and this past week had surely been hell for him. And it wasn’t like Lance enjoyed having his right hand rendered useless either, especially for so long, but he had never had a problem with personal space.

 

He had grown up in a large family, so that was hardly a concept he was familiar with.

So yeah, it was a bit more manageable for him. 

 

That didn’t help to take the sting off Keith’s words, but Lance figured so long as Keith was willing to finally talk that it was worth a few bruised feelings.

 

“Keith listen,” he tried, keeping his voice calm and relatively stable to help ease the red paladin, but his tactics from before weren’t helping this time, and Keith stood abruptly.

 

“I can’t do this anymore Lance,” he said, voice suddenly monotone, and Lance watched him with wide eyes as he reached behind his back. “I’m sorry, I just can’t-”

 

_ What is he- _

 

“Keith!” 

 

Lance jumped up as Keith drew out his knife, the one he always kept on him, and lifted it behind his head. Lance tried to grab for it, in full panic mode now that Keith had seemingly gone over the deep end, when a shout caught their attention.

 

Shiro, who had been traversing a pile of rocks in an attempt to get Allura back on the coms, had apparently placed his hands directly on top of one of the dreaded purple flowers, and was turning towards them with a look of mild concern on his face.

 

“Uh...guys?”

 

Lance wondered what sort of scene their leader was witnessing; Keith with his knife drawn back ready to ‘solve’ their problem once and for all, and Lance half climbing his body in an attempt to stop him, eyes wide with panic. But Shiro didn’t get a chance to say anything, because the next thing they knew he was slipping, and without the use of his hands, he tumbled down the rocks with a startled yelp.

 

Something inside of Keith must have clicked back together, because suddenly he was sprinting towards their fallen leader, dragging Lance along with him.

 

“Shiro!” he screamed, but as they approached, the black paladin sat up with a groan that quickly turned into a chuckle as he regarded his hands.

 

“Oh, darn,” he said, with not much concern, “seems I’m in a bit of  _ sticky _ situation.”

 

Lance blinked, and even Keith paused momentarily to gape at their leader. After all the commotion from before, with Keith nealy severing them for good, Lance wasn’t sure he had heard properly. Maybe he was going just as crazy as Keith.

 

“Did...did you just make a pun?” he asked, and Shiro shrugged, trying his best to stand and failing miserably. 

 

“Are you alright?” Keith spoke over him, crouching down to investigate Shiro for injuries. Lance was pulled down as well, but didn’t mind at all, now that the red paladin was seemingly more himself. Upon finding nothing wrong, Keith began his scolding. 

 

“What were you thinking!? Why would you wander off like that and not look where you were putting your hands!” 

 

Shiro turned his hands over at that, looking at them curiously, and Lance was reminded of a child first learning to hold his hands in prayer, or perform a karate chop. It was almost comical, save for one thing.

 

“How are we supposed to leave now?”

 

Keith’s eyes widened as he processed Lance’s words.

 

“We can ask Allura for help,” he said after a moment. “If we leave now then this stuff should wipe off Shiro in no time, since he doesn’t have any Galra in him.”

 

“I wonder if Galra  _ tech _ counts,” Shiro pondered aloud, and Keith turned back to him with a confused look.

 

“Why aren’t you freaking out over this?!” he shook his head without waiting for a reply. “Nevermind, just get ahold of the castle and tell them we need a lift.”

 

“Can’t,” Shiro informed them nonchalantly, “coms aren’t working. Apparently this storm is interfering with the signal.”

 

Lance watched him with disbelief. How was Shiro being so calm?! 

 

“So,” he asked instead, “you’re saying we’re stuck here on a foreign planet with no way of escaping?”

 

Shiro tilted his head to the side as he regarded him, then his eyes shifted towards Keith. A sly smile spread out across his face, and Lance gulped.

 

“There  _ is _ one way,” he began, and when neither Lance or Keith responded, he elaborated. “You guys could fly the black lion.” 

 

“Yeah, okay,” Lance replied sarcastically, and Keith simply groaned in response.

 

“I’m serious!” Shiro explained, standing awkwardly in the process. “You both have a free arm, so you can probably do it.”

 

“Shiro,” Keith exhaled, “the black lion won’t just  _ let  _ us fly her. It has to be you.”

 

“You’ve flown her before Keith, and besides,” he held up his hands for them to see, “my hands are tied.” 

 

“Oh my god another pun!” Lance exclaimed, but Keith spoke over him again.

 

“That was  _ one _ time! And she only let me because you were in danger!”

 

“Maybe,” Shiro shrugged, “maybe not. My connection with the black lion isn’t like yours with Red. She doesn’t have the same sense of...urgency, when it comes to rescues. Besides,” he pointed as best he could to the sky above them. “I’m not really interested in getting caught up in an alien storm.”

 

Lance looked to what he was referring to, and felt his stomach drop sickeningly. Angry clouds had gathered above them, but instead of the typical blacks and greys that Lance had grown used to seeing on Earth, these clouds were an intense violet. They looked eerily familiar to the plants around them, and Lance got the sinking feeling that maybe the two were connected.

 

“ _ Fuck,”  _ Keith cursed under his breath, and let his head rest in his free hand for a moment as he thought. He turned towards Lance after a brief pause. “We minus well try.”

 

Had the situation been different Lance would have beamed at having Keith talking and acting normally again. But unfortunately there was no time for such celebrations, so the happy dance would have to wait. As it was, Lance had a few  _ minor _ concerns of his own to point out.

 

“Uh, Keith, buddy,” he balked, “I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve never flown another lion besides Blue.”

 

“It’s fine,” Keith informed him, “same controls as the others, just a different connection.”

 

“Yeah but, I don’t  _ have _ that connection.”

 

“Lance it’ll be fine-”

 

“What if it’s not! What if we get stuck here because the black lion rejects me! We can’t risk that! Another bad thing will happen and it will be all my fault again! I can’t-”

 

“Lance!” Keith grabbed hold of his shoulder with his free hand and grasped firmly, forcing Lance to stare into his eyes. He felt himself grow calmer just by having Keith so close, not realizing just how much he had actually  _ missed _ hearing Keith’s voice, and took a deep breath to calm himself. 

 

Keith was watching him with a small smile. 

 

“We can at least try, right?” he asked softly as Lance searched his face. “Isn’t that what you’ve been saying this whole time?”

 

“I didn’t think you were listening anymore,” Lance whispered back, and Keith’s smile grew sad.

 

“I was. I always am, I just-” he broke off, staring at the ground. “I’m sorry, I sort of lost it back there.”

 

“Maybe a little,” Lance admitted, and then with a more serious tone of voice: “I was really worried about you.”

 

Keith lowered his head with a sigh.

 

“I know, and I’m really sorry. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve just been feeling so...off lately. I still  _ am _ feeling off, like my mind is constantly arguing with my body, or my heart, and I’m caught in the middle of this battle not knowing what side to take, or if there should even  _ be _ a side to take, and I was just so angry at everything, and then depressed, and then I felt nothing at all and-”

 

Lance cut him off by putting a finger to his lips and smiling gently.

 

“Woah, easy there space cadet. You’re going to hurt yourself.” 

 

“Or someone else,” Keith replied quietly, and Lance moved his finger to under Keith’s chin and tilted his head up.

 

“I wouldn’t allow it. Besides, I don’t think you would have won that match anyways.” Keith looked at him curiously and Lance went on theatrically. “I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’ve gotten pretty darn good at hand to hand combat recently-” he broke off as Keith snorted, a grin appearing on his face for the first time in days. 

 

“Oh, really now?” he asked sarcastically, and Lance waggled his eyebrows teasingly.

 

“Yeah well, between you and me,” he leaned forward and lowered his voice, “I have a pretty amazing teacher.”

 

Keith’s cheeks flushed a fantastic shade of red, and Lance grinned. He was so entirely  _ thrilled  _ to be able to flirt like this with Keith again. It was like breathing fresh air after being cooped up inside all day, or feeling a weight dissipate from his shoulders that he hadn’t known was there. Keith was back;  _ his _ Keith, and Lance had really missed him. 

 

Shiro cleared his throat awkwardly beside them, and they sprung apart at the sudden interruption. Lance felt his face burn as brightly as Keith’s jacket upon seeing the knowing gleam on their leader’s face, but Keith didn’t seem to care, having already recovered.

 

“Let’s go,” he said, and Shiro nodded, a large grin plastered on his face.

 

They were lucky that the black lion wasn’t far from where they had been resting, and managed to get back to her with relative haste considering they were all now hindered by plant goo. She opened up for them at Shiro’s behest, but when Keith sat down at the controls, the reaction was less than welcoming. 

 

In fact, nothing happened at all. 

 

Lance looked over at Shiro for guidance, but he was making himself comfortable on the bench in the back, closing his eyes and practically lounging with his hands behind his head. Lance decided that Shiro must had hit his noggin harder than they thought, seeing as how relaxed he was, and made a mental note to get him into a healing pod as soon as they reached the castle.

 

That was... _ if _ they reached the castle.

 

Keith seemed to be having similar thoughts, and hastily looked over the controls in front of him.

 

“This doesn’t make sense,” he was mumbling, fiddling with the switches with a concerned frown. “Last time she just lit up. Getting into her was the hard part.”

 

“That’s what she said,” Lance muttered to himself, not able to help it. Keith didn’t seem to hear, so he tried again. “Did you try turning it on and off again?” 

 

He knew he was being unhelpful, but despite Keith’s encouraging words, there was still a part of him that was worried that the only reason the black lion wasn’t working was because he was there. She could probably sense his doubts or something. Or maybe it was deeper than that, and the black lion wouldn’t work because she knew that Lance wasn’t worthy of piloting her. He wasn’t a fearless leader like Shiro, or a firecracker like Keith.

 

He was just troublemaking Lance. 

 

Keith looked over with an unimpressed scowl, but Lance must have had his thoughts displayed clearly on his face, because Keith’s expression softened as soon as he saw him.

 

“Lance,” he said encouragingly, “just try and feel the connection.”

 

“I am!” He hadn’t been, but it was easier not to admit that. Keith didn’t seem to believe him however. 

 

“Just-” he scooted over in the chair and patted it with his free hand. “Just come and sit with me at least. Maybe she can sense that you and I are connected.” 

 

Lance scoffed but did as he was asked, squeezing into the space beside Keith with relative ease considering it wasn’t very large. Part of his leg draped over Keith’s lap, and he averted his eyes to try and focus on something,  _ anything _ , other than the feeling of the red paladin beneath him. 

 

“I don’t think the lions know that we’re holding hands Keith,” he replied with a sigh, knowing that this was hopeless, and that they were probably going to be stuck in a strange plant goo storm and get stranded on this awful planet forever. 

 

Because he couldn’t form a proper bond with the black lion and help save them. 

Because he didn’t have what it took to pilot her. 

Because-

 

Keith gave their hands a squeeze, and Lance’s mind went momentarily blank. 

 

“Then maybe she can sense another connection,” he whispered. “A deeper one.”

 

Lance felt his cheeks flush anew, and let the grin show on his face as he stared at Keith.

 

“You and your bonds,” he chuckled, and Keith beamed. As if in reply, the inside of the black lion lit up suddenly, and from behind them Shiro cheered boredly.

 

“You did it,” he called out to them in monotone, and Keith jerked his head around to flip him off with his free hand.

 

“Shiro I swear to god I’m going to make Coran force feed you space goop for the next week for being so unhelpful.” 

 

“That’s cruel Keith, even for you!” Shiro called back, and Lance bit back a laugh. Whatever had happened to him during the fall, if anything, Lance wasn’t sure he wanted it to change. This Shiro was hilarious.

 

Keith turned back to the front with a huff, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. 

 

Lance was the one to give their hands a squeeze this time, doubts cast aside now that the black lion had responded to them, and reached out to take hold of one of the controls with renewed vigour. He glanced over at Keith with a wink.

 

“Ready space cadet?” he asked, and Keith grinned back.

 

“Let’s do it.”

 

They launched the black lion up into the air, and with a only a few mishaps here and there, were able to get control and fly her with relative ease. The brewing storm made it  more difficult once they gained altitude, and Shiro was tossed a few times back and forth as genuine turbulence rocked the ship, but he was laughing the whole time, so Lance allowed his worry to ebb away.

 

Piloting the black lion was exhilarating, and where Blue was calmer and more fluid, Black was all about power and precision. Lance found himself whooping as they climbed higher, finally breaking the atmosphere of the planet and zipping towards the ship smoothly. Keith gave him a sly look once they were back in space before suddenly yanking his control to the right, making the lion twirl in response. It was fast enough that they hardly moved, but Shiro let out a startled yelp at the sudden stomach dropping sensation. 

 

“Hey!” he called out from the back, “be careful with my lion!” 

 

“Whoops,” Keith replied with a satisfied smirk, and Lance felt a warmth blossom in his chest at seeing him smile. So much had happened in the past week, but for one blissful moment, they could pretend that everything was alright again. 

 

That they weren’t still stuck at the hand, and that the crystallizing nectar wasn’t a threat. 

That they still hadn’t found a cure and that Shiro hadn’t fallen into the same trap. 

That Voltron wasn’t still at risk with Lance and Keith out of commission.

 

They could just enjoy the sensation of piloting the black lion together, of working as a team, and yes, bonding. 

 

And that was enough.

 

It ended all too soon however, and as they piloted the lion up into the ship, the extent of their situation came back to Lance in full force. 

 

“WHAT HAPPENED!” Allura’s voice came through the coms suddenly, loud enough to cause all three of them to jump in alarm. Shiro was on his feet immediately, and as he exited the lion, tried his best to hide his own hands from the Princess’s view as she stormed towards them.

 

“Ah, Allura,” he began, but she took one look at his predicament and fumed. Lance was glad he wasn’t closest to her, since her anger was clearly evident, and prayed Shiro would survive her wrath. He had higher expectations placed on him since he was technically their leader, and Allura was making that very evident in the way she was staring at his hands with outrage, almost in disbelief that he could have succumbed to the same fate.

 

Lance counted his blessings. As fun as piloting the black lion had been, he wasn’t sure he wanted the job full time, and all that came with it, even with Keith at his side. The responsibility was almost too much.

 

Besides, he preferred Blue anyday.

 

“That’s enough,” Allura stated sharply, bringing Lance out of his thoughts, and turned towards Coran, who had rushed into the room after her, followed by Hunk and Pidge. “This experiment of yours end now. We almost lost the black lion and  _ three _ paladins! I will take no further risks!”

 

“But Princess-”

 

“No Coran! I’m putting my foot down! We’ve seen enough!”

 

“She’s right Coran,” Shiro put in, and the Altean sighed. He opened his mouth to reply but Keith was quicker, stepping forward and pulling Lance along with him.

 

“What experiment?”

 

They all turned to look over at them, and Lance saw the worried glance Hunk and Shiro shared, his stomach dropping in fear. Coran stepped forward, but Keith had seemingly already made the connection.

 

“You...you found a cure already didn’t you,” he stated, and when no one replied, he began to shake, eyebrows lowering furiously over his eyes, which were glaring holes into the floor as his mind worked. 

 

Lance was slower on the draw, but after seeing Hunk regard him with such a sorrowful expression, as if he was apologizing for something, it all clicked.

 

They had found a cure. And they hadn’t told Keith or him.

But  _ why?! _

 

“You were working so well together-” Coran started to explain, but Keith cut him off.

 

“IS THIS SOME SORT OF GAME TO YOU?!” he bellowed, and everyone in the room except Allura and Coran flinched. Lance gaped at Keith, then the others, his pulse rising as he realized what they had done, or rather, what they  _ hadn’t _ done. 

 

He wasn’t sure how to feel though, which was odd. Was he mad? He didn’t think so. More betrayed….or was it simply disbelief?

 

Had his team, his  _ friends, _ really allowed him and Keith to stay stuck together for the sake of them improving their relationship? Sure, Lance had definitely noticed differences in how he and Keith acted around each other; their ability to communicate, calm the other down in tense situations, and even read each others body language better. And maybe those things would never have improved had they not gotten attached at the hand, but wasn’t withholding the cure to their problems for the sake of team building a bit...drastic? 

 

“Keith, we’re sorry, but you guys-” their leader started, but was quickly cut off.

 

“Do NOT go there with me Shiro,” Keith interrupted, his tone loud and hostile. “Do you have  _ any _ idea what it’s like to have absolutely  _ no _ privacy? Do you know how it feels to watch your hand slowly fuse together with someone else's and not be able to  _ do _ anything about it?”

 

“I-”

 

“We’ve been walking around that god forsaken planet for FOUR FUCKING DAYS SHIRO!” Keith bellowed, and Lance stared at the floor in shock. “Four days of wasting time, of-of _mocking_ us! For some...some _social_ _experiment?!_ You have GOT to be shitting me!”

 

“Keith please let us explain-” but again Shiro was cut off.

 

“I almost  _ fucking _ cut my  _ hand _ off today! Because I was so tired of this!” He shook his and Lance’s attached hands for emphasis, and Lance saw the others pale at the confession. “I could have seriously  _ hurt _ Lance! And this whole time you  _ fucks _ had a cure?!”

 

“Keith, please-” Coran tried, but Keith wasn’t listening anymore. His shoulders were shaking with poorly controlled fury as he glared daggers into each of them. 

 

“Get us free of this shit right now,” he snarled, and Hunk ran from the room, returning not two minutes later with a bowl of steaming liquid. He approached them hesitantly, eyeing Lance with concern and so much guilt that Lance just wanted to hug him and tell him he wasn’t upset.

 

But that wouldn’t have been the truth, because in all honesty, Lance wasn’t sure how he felt after hearing the revelations of what his team had done. So instead he just stood there as Hunk began soaking their hands in the hot liquid, and let his mind go blank; let his emotions take over. 

 

He felt nothing.

 

_ Maybe this is what genuine shock feels like… _

 

Keith was breathing heavily beside him, watching the steam rise up off their hands with such loathing that Lance felt a pang of that hatred pierce his heart. He knew Keith was upset; had every right to be, but it was never fun to hear that someone would prefer to cut their own hand off rather than spend another day attached to him.  

 

Hunk began speaking nervously to try and ease the tension in the room.

 

“It’s, uh- I was experimenting-” he winced as Keith glared at him at the mention of that word, and swallowed hard. “Uh, I was seeing if the nectar could be used as honey, like I said before, or maybe a jam, so I tried boiling it down to see. It didn’t taste great, but I noticed that once I had poured it down the drain that the nectar had come clean off the utensils in the sink. So I began to test if maybe it would work again by putting some on myself and-”

 

“Hunk,” Keith interrupted, and the boy froze. “I really don’t care how you found this out. What I  _ do _ care about it how you withheld it from me. From Lance. I thought we were  _ friends _ ,” his voice broke off with a hitch, and Hunk looked as if he had been struck. 

 

Again, Lance wished to comfort him, but his body wouldn’t move. 

 

With a sudden sloshing noise, like a loud suction cup being torn from a flat surface, their hands broke apart, and Lance was able to finally move the fingers of his right hand. They felt odd; much too skinny now, and uncomfortably loose. He removed his hand from the liquid to stare down at his palm.

 

Keith didn’t even bother. As soon as his hand was free he was storming from the room, eager to get as much space between himself and the rest of the team as possible. Shiro called out after him, but was stopped by Coran, who put a hand to his chest. 

 

“Let him go. I believe we owe him that right now.” 

 

Hunk took the bowl over to Shiro with one last remorseful glance in Lance’s direction, but Lance wasn’t paying attention. His eyes were still focused on his hand; the fingers curling inwards one by one as if testing the extent of their reach. 

 

“He’s taken the red lion!” Allura alerted them after a minute of silence, and Shiro sighed deeply.

 

“We made a mistake,” he admitted, and turned towards Lance once his own hands were free. “Lance, I’m so sorry. We thought that it would be beneficial to the whole team if you and Keith got along better, and you were both doing so well, and-” his words washed over Lance like a wave, soaking the surface but not truly being absorbed. 

 

Lance was still trying to grasp what it was he was feeling. He should be thrilled that he was finally free. 

Or angry that the others had played him. 

Or maybe even worried about Keith, who was furious and impulsive and probably doing something reckless. 

 

But he didn’t feel any of those things. It was like someone had drained him of all emotion, and as he stared down at his right hand, fingers closing over empty air, a single, mind numbing thought occurred to him: 

 

He was alone.

 

***

Keith didn’t join them for dinner that night, but Allura had informed them all that the red lion had indeed returned, so there was no need to panic. That didn’t prevent the heavy silence from descending upon them as they ate though, and Lance found he didn’t have much of an appetite. His brain was still trying to process the hasty explanation Hunk had provided shortly after Allura had dismissed them, and though he had forgiven his friends for what they done, there was still something bothering him. 

 

And it had everything to do with the absence of the red paladin. 

 

Lance hadn’t known he would feel this way once they were separated. He hadn’t counted on growing so attached to Keith, both figuratively and literally, and his right hand kept clenching around nothing, wondering where its companion had gone. He really should go find Keith, but he wasn’t sure what he would even say. 

 

Or do. 

 

He was at a complete and utter loss, and thought maybe it would be better if he just went to sleep.

 

He was about to excuse himself when Coran cleared his throat.

 

“Lance, I would like to formally apologize for my behaviour. I had no right to prevent you and Keith from regaining your freedom, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”

 

Lance blinked, suddenly feeling very awkward for being put on the spot, especially considering it was an apology from Coran. He glanced over at Hunk, who nodded encouragingly. 

 

“It wasn’t all your doing Coran,” Shiro added before Lance could respond. “We all played a part, myself included.” 

 

“I didn’t,” Pidge offered, and Lance glanced over at her with a small smile. Apparently Pidge had been too preoccupied with the weapon and storage devices for the nectar to have noticed the rest of the team withholding valuable information. Lance found a small, if not entirely reassuring, comfort in that fact.

 

“The point remains,” Shiro went on, “that I’m sorry. Really sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but we should have considered your guys’s feelings first.”

 

“I too,” Allura added, “had a part in this scheme. I was against it, but allowed myself to be persuaded otherwise. I never wanted to bring harm to the team, but it seems we’ve done just that.”

 

“I feel really awful about not telling you sooner Lance,” Hunk confessed as well. “Like, really,  _ really _ terrible. I’m a bad friend.”

 

Lance looked between them all with a curious expression. He had had some time to think after being separated from Keith, and speaking privately with Hunk, but had reached the same conclusion as before.

 

He didn’t feel much of anything besides an unorthodox loneliness, and his fingers kept clutching at air, as if hoping to find something solid beneath them. It was disorientating, but he wasn’t about to admit that to the others, so instead he nodded.

 

“I forgive you all. I wasn’t even really mad to begin with though,” he sighed, trailing a fork through his food. “I know Keith and I are always fighting and making things more difficult for you guys, so I get why you did it. I mean, it sucked, but I get it.”

 

“ _ Were _ always fighting,” Shiro corrected, and Lance tilted his head in question. “You and Keith have really improved these past few days. You were even able to pilot my lion, which, admittedly, was my idea in the first place-”

 

“Wait,” Lance held up a finger to stop him. “You’re saying you _ purposefully  _ put your hands in flower goo to get Keith and me to fly your lion?”

 

Shiro flushed and nodded bashfully.

 

“I mean, the falling part was unintentional, but...basically, yes.” 

 

Lance shook his head in disbelief. 

 

“But Lance,” Shiro went on, “it’s still a huge accomplishment. The fact that Black even let you both pilot her is remarkable, considering how particular she is. You and Keith,” he paused, searching for the right words, “you balance each other out. I saw it, Coran saw it...everyone on the team can see it except you two. So that’s why we withheld the cure for a few days. Just to see what would happen. I understand now that what we did was extremely unprofessional, and you both have every right to be angry with us, but just know that we are sorry, and we  _ will _ make it up to you guys.” 

 

Lance was silent as he processed Shiro’s words. It was true he was better able to understand Keith after the time he had spent attached to him, and their relationship  _ had _ improved for the better. Lance wasn’t about to reveal just  _ how _ close he and Keith had grown over the past week, but got the idea that others already knew. It was evident in their faces as they all nodded along to what Shiro had said. 

 

“Shiro,” Lance said, raising his head to meet their leader’s eyes. “I’m really not mad. And honestly, I didn’t find it that awful to begin with. But…” he trailed off, glancing towards the door in hopes that maybe Keith had decided to join them, but the doorway remained empty, and Lance sighed again.

 

“I think I’m the wrong person to be apologizing to. Keith needs to hear this more than I do, and honestly, he’s going to need some time to process things. He’s been having a much harder time with this whole situation than he’s let show, but I know. He was so distant, and  _ quiet _ and-” Lance broke off, finding himself growing emotional as he spoke, and took a few breaths to calm himself. When he did, he raised his head to meet Shiro’s eyes, and let his innermost thoughts colour the tone of his words. “We almost  _ lost _ him Shiro. He was so depressed those last few days….how did you not notice?” 

 

He hadn’t meant to accuse anyone for missing Keith’s odd behaviour, but the words were out before Lance could recall them. He hadn’t realized just how overwhelmingly worried he had been over the red paladin, and the emotions that had been brewing over the past couple of days had finally boiled over. 

 

Lance blinked away a few tears, begging himself not to cry in front of the rest of the team, but he knew the others weren’t fooled. Everyone except Pidge, who was searching for something on her laptop, was staring down at their plates in shame.

 

“I’m so sorry Lance,” Shiro attoned. “ I had no idea…”

 

“Well, obviously his mood changed,” Pidge spoke up, and everyone turned to stare at her. She met their eyes then read something off her screen. “‘This plant is not only dangerous to touch, but releases a pheromone that causes abrupt mood swings, and is a common ingredient in the’...” she trailed off, squinting at the screen and turning towards Coran. “What’s this word here?” 

 

He leaned down and read what she was pointing at, and suddenly his eyes went wide, understanding dawning on his face.

 

“Of course!” he exclaimed, and Allura frowned.

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s a type of beverage one would drink at a social gathering, to elevate spirits and the like. It can cause a drastic change in behavior depending on the consumer, and should be taken in moderation.”

 

“So…it’s like alcohol?” Hunk asked, and Coran shrugged. 

 

“I’ve no idea to what you’re referring to, but most likely. It can be toxic if drank in too great a quantity.”

 

“Yep. Definitely alcohol,” Hunk concluded, and Lance turned back towards Pidge.

 

“But what does that have to do with Keith? He wasn’t experiencing ‘elevated spirits’ at all! And we wasn’t drinking!”

 

Pidge adjusted her glasses and explained.

 

“That’s because in order for it to be used as an ingredient in this drink, you have to powder the petals. The pheromone, if breathed in too frequently, causes beings, especially Galra, to experience extreme hostility, and oftentimes will render them useless after prolonged exposure. It says common symptoms to watch for include ‘trancelike behavior, vacant eyes, and emotionless expression’, sort of like being on drugs I guess.”   

 

Lance let his mouth fall open. That whole time spent pointlessly searching for a cure had been slowly  _ poisoning _ Keith?!  _ That _ was why he had been acting the way he had?! 

 

Shiro’s eyes were wide as he stared down at Pidge in shock, then turned towards Lance with concern etched all over his face.

 

“So Keith…” Hunk trailed off, putting two and two together, but Lance was way ahead of him. 

 

“Why didn’t you say something earlier!?” he exclaimed, and Pidge glanced between them all nervously.

 

“I thought I did?” Everyone’s faces were skeptical, and Pidge sunk a tad lower in her chair. “I’m sorry, I must have forgotten to mention it with all that was going on…”

 

“Do the effects of that pheromone wear off or does Keith need to go into a healing pod?” Lance asked with urgency, and she considered for a moment.

 

“He should be fine. It’s just an airborne thing, so once he was back in the castle it would have worn off a bit.”

 

“Good.” Lance let his relief show, and relaxed into his chair. 

 

“We really messed up,” Shiro confessed, and Coran nodded solemnly. Even Allura, who would usually have something to say about the Galra, was silent as she stared down at her hands. Lance could feel the guilt heavy in the air.

 

“Listen, guys,” he stood, and everyone was suddenly watching him. “I’ll admit that you made a mistake, and that Keith has suffered for it. But  _ I _ made the mistake of touching that plant in the first place. This is as much  _ my _ fault as yours. Maybe more.” 

 

He paused, ensuring everyone’s eyes were still on him as he continued “I think the best course of action right now is to let Keith have his space. He’ll be pissed for a few days, but I know he’ll understand. The best thing to do is not force him to talk, or crowd him in any way. I promise you all that he’ll be forgiving.” 

 

Everyone was silent for a moment, staring at Lance with varying expressions. Hunk wore one of deep concern, Pidge was nodding along to what he was saying absently, Allura and Coran were both eyeing him curiously, and Shiro wore a look of solemn acceptance. 

 

“I agree with Lance,” Allura said, surprising him. The Princess  _ rarely _ , if  _ ever _ , agreed with Lance. He stared at her skeptically, and she smiled gently in reply. “You’ve matured a lot recently. I admire that, and I believe that you are correct.” 

 

Lance felt his cheeks heat, and Hunk waggled his eyebrows at him from across the table. Allura didn’t notice, and turned to the others.

 

“We will leave this planet immediately. Maybe go somewhere nice, to relax a bit. I think a break is needed.”

 

“A vacation?” Pidge piped up, and even Lance was thrown by the idea.

 

“Yes, why not,” Allura nodded. “We can let Keith decide where to go once he feels up to it.” 

 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Shiro agreed, and Lance could have sworn he saw Allura blush, but it was hard to tell with her alien cheek markings. Lance spoke up before she could reply.

 

“I think that would be nice,” he said, and they all turned to him once again. “But if you guy’s don’t mind, I’m going to turn in. I’m exhausted.”

 

Hunk was on his feet immediately.

 

“I’ll walk with you-” he started, but Lance shook his head.

 

“No, that’s ok buddy. I just want to be alone for a bit.” He didn’t, but the others didn’t need to know that. What Lance really wanted was Keith to be at his side once again, but that was a selfish thought, so he cast it aside. 

 

And yeah, the vacation idea sounded great, and they definitely deserved it, but right now Lance was too tired to properly celebrate. He was emotionally drained and figured being alone for a little while might actually do him some good. The others were still watching him with concern though, so Lance smiled back at them warmly, letting them know he was fine.

 

“Really guys, don’t beat yourselves up. It gets us nowhere. Tomorrow, maybe Keith will feel like talking, and you can explain and apologize and all that stuff to him then, and we can all move on. It doesn’t do any good to dwell on things that happened in the past.” 

 

It was Pidge who broke the silence that followed his words.

 

“Since when did you get so wise Lance?”

 

He grinned at that, and the others relaxed slightly upon seeing that it was genuine. 

 

“I’ve always been wise Pidge. I’m like a fountain of wisdom. Back home they call me the ‘wise guy’, though I think that’s for other reasons…”

 

She rolled her eyes in response.

 

“Yep, he’s fine,” she muttered, and Lance chuckled. He waved before leaving the room, hoping the rest of the team wouldn’t feel too guilty about what had happened. Lance hated seeing his friends unhappy, but there was only so much he could do. Until Keith forgave them, they would just have to be patient, and try and cope with their actions until then.

 

He made his way to his room, quietly hoping he would run into the boy on the way, but his journey was disappointingly uneventful. Once at his chambers, Lance allowed himself to enjoy a long, hot shower, before slipping into his cosiest pajamas and tossing his week old shirt in the wash. As much as he had adored Keith’s company, there was nothing quite like being able to stretch both arms unhindered, or wash his face without any sassy remarks on how long he was taking in the bathroom. 

 

But despite the silver linings, the minute Lance laid down on his bed, the loneliness came rushing back. His mattress was still double size, seeing as Coran hadn’t come in to change the settings yet, but the extra space felt more suffocating than freeing now.

 

And the silence...

 

The absolute quietness of his room was unsettling, and as Lance tried to close his eyes and clear his mind, his body just wouldn’t relax. There was something missing; something he had grown use to having. And as much as Lance yearned to run out of his room and call out for Keith, he knew he couldn’t do that. 

 

Lance was probably the very  _ last _ person Keith would want to see right now, much less sleep with, so Lance settled by tucking a pillow up under his chin and draping an arm over that, knowing it wouldn’t come close to the real thing, but hoping that maybe his dreams would be able to fill in the gaps.

 

But sleep never came, and as the hours ticked by, Lance had resigned himself to lay awake stewing and overanalyzing every tiny detail from the past week, and had even been considering hitting the training deck when a soft knock at his door brought him out of this thoughts. He went still, wondering if the sound had been real. 

 

After a minute or so of doubt, another small knock, more hesitant than before, echoed around his room. 

 

Lance got out of bed to answer it, thinking maybe it was Hunk or Shiro come to talk or apologize again, but it wasn’t either of them waiting on the other side. There, standing in a loose t-shirt and pair of red pajama pants, hair fluffy from having been freshly washed and hanging loosely around his face, was Keith. 

 

He stared up at Lance through his bangs, and one hand reached up to rub the back of his neck nervously.

 

“Hey,” he said quietly, and Lance blinked, registering that this was, in fact, not a dream, and that Keith was really standing in front of him. He resisted the urge to pinch himself.

 

“Keith-” Lance cleared his throat, the name having come out an octave higher than he would have liked, but Keith smiled in reply, and Lance fell silent at the sight. 

 

“Um,” Keith began, then sighed heavily. “Is it alright if I, uh...can I stay here-it’s just, my room is...I guess, um…” he trailed off, cheeks flushing red, and Lance beamed.

 

“Yes, you can sleep with me,” he stepped aside to let Keith pass.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked, hesitating at the door, and Lance fought the urge to reply with something witty. As much as he wanted to tease Keith, Lance was too relieved to actually see him standing in front of him, especially after the day they’d had, and didn’t want to risk Keith leaving. 

 

So instead he nodded.

 

“I’d really like it if you did.”

 

Keith smiled back, visibly relaxing, and entered the room. He crawled onto the bed without hesitation, which Lance found incredibly endearing, and tucked himself beneath the covers with ease. He glanced over when he noticed Lance hadn’t made a move to follow him.

 

“Are you coming?” he asked, and Lance felt his heart swell. He grinned again, and bounded over to the bed, crawling in next to Keith. He propped his head up on his hand and stared down at the boy, keeping a bit of space between them so as not to overwhelm Keith. It was usually the darker haired boy who initiated the cuddling sessions anyways, so Lance figured it would be best to stick with that trend.

 

Keith eyed him, his lower lip jutting out slightly at Lance’s position, and shifted so he was mimicking his pose. 

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, and Lance frowned at the concern in his voice. 

 

“I should be asking you that.”

 

Keith sighed, bringing his left hand up to his face to examine it. Lance stared at it as well.

 

“Woah, you aren’t wearing your gloves…” he trailed off as Keith raised an eyebrow, realizing that of course he wasn’t, because who sleeps in gloves? 

 

“I only wear them at night on the rare occasions when my hand is covered in plant goo,” Keith teased, and Lance quirked an eyebrow back.

 

“Oh yeah? But I seem to recall you wearing both gloves, even though only one hand was stuck.”

 

Keith scoffed.

 

“Well obviously. I’m not going to only wear  _ one _ glove. I have  _ some _ standards.” 

 

Lance burst out laughing, the sassy remark having completely taken him by surprise, and heard Keith’s own softer chuckles beside him. He sighed contently as he recovered, and noticed Keith was staring at his hand again, face blank.

 

“Are  _ you  _ alright?” he asked, and Keith glanced back up at him, curling his hand in a loose fist. Lance longed to slip his own hand up into Keith’s and entwine their fingers once again, but decided that might not be the wisest course of action, considering the week they’d just had. 

 

“I wasn’t,” Keith replied softly, bringing Lance’s attention back into focus. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry before.”

 

“Well, you have every right to be.”

 

Keith sighed again, and let his head fall back on the pillow so he was staring up at the ceiling.

 

“I don’t  _ want _ to be mad at them….I just feel-” he paused, and Lance filled in the rest for him.

 

“Betrayed?”

 

Keith looked over at him briefly in consideration, then shook his head lightly.

 

“No, it’s not even that. I think I was more shocked than anything.  _ Am _ , more shocked than anything. I mean...who  _ does that?”  _

 

Lance let his own head fall back, so they were both laying on their backs, the gap still between them, reminding Lance of their first night together. He exhaled heavily.

 

“I understand what their intentions were,” he said. “They didn’t mean to upset you, and they all feel  _ really _ bad. Like, don’t even get me started on how bad Hunk feels. I think he gave me like, seventeen hugs. And even Shiro looked ready to cry at one point.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith replied softly. “He tried to come talk to me not too long ago, but, I don’t know, I’m not ready yet. I feel guilty admitting it but I sort of want him to feel bad, you know?”

 

Lance nodded, but after realizing Keith couldn’t see that, verbally agreed.

 

“Yeah, I get it.”

 

“And what about you?” Keith asked, turning his head slightly to stare at Lance, who made a questioning sound in the back of his throat. “You keep talking like I was the only one to be affected by this, but it was your hand as well. Aren’t you mad?”

 

Lance thought for a moment. It was like he had said earlier; he wasn’t that torn up about the whole thing honestly. Sure, it wasn’t the nicest thing to do to someone, but Lance knew the others hadn’t done it to be mean. He knew just how guilty they felt.

 

“No,” he replied, and Keith frowned. 

 

“Why not?”

 

“I guess I sort of know where they were coming from? Like, the whole ‘having good intentions and making a mistake’ sort of thing...that was what got us into this mess in the first place.”

 

Keith was silent beside him, and Lance wondered briefly if his answer had upset him in any way.

 

“But that’s just me,” he continued. “I’m not blaming you for being pissed at them. In fact, I told the others to give you time and let you come around to them, since I know you don’t like confrontations like that.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “And to be completely honest, I didn’t really mind being attached to you for however long it was.” He brought his right hand out from beneath the covers to stare at it, flexing his fingers experimentally. There was no point denying it anymore, so he let his innermost thoughts out, revealing to Keith exactly what he had been thinking in his time spent separated from him.

 

“I think the thing I was most upset about was not having you near me anymore. It’s  like I’ve lost a limb or something, and my hand keeps feeling like it’ll close around your fingers, but there’s nothing there. Like a ghost or something-” he broke off as Keith shifted suddenly, his left hand making it’s way slowly up Lance’s arm, trailing along up into his hand and pausing briefly. Lance held his breath as Keith let his fingers unfurl and entwine with his, then squeezed gently.

 

“Is this better?” he asked softly, and Lance turned his head to gaze over at him. Keith smiled, a blush creeping across his cheeks, and Lance felt his heart rate quicken in response. 

He frowned slightly though, and didn’t tighten his own fingers around Keith’s just yet.

 

“Keith, you don’t have to this just because I was rambling about something stupid…” he trailed off as Keith scooted closer on the bed, laying their hands to rest between them as he rolled over onto his side to face Lance.

 

“It’s not stupid,” he whispered. “I missed your hand as well. But more than that I missed having you beside me. I know I didn’t act like it, and I said some things that made it sound otherwise, but I really did miss you Lance.”

 

Lance was speechless. All he could do was stare at Keith, wondering what in the universe he had done to deserve someone so precious. He let his own fingers wrap tightly around Keith’s in response, the warmth of them spreading up his arm and into his heart like wildfire, and any remaining feelings of loneliness ebbed away. 

 

“Wow,” Keith went on after a minute of silence, “I think I broke him.” 

 

Lance snorted, then rolled over onto his side to engulf Keith in a large hug, wrapping his free arm around him like he had done so many times before, and letting his head rest comfortably on top of the boys’.

 

“You smell so much nicer now,” he mumbled lazily into Keith’s hair, relishing the feel of it against his cheeks. Keith made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. 

 

“Um, rude!” he said against Lance’s chest, but his voice was muffled. “You didn’t exactly smell like a flower yourself!” 

 

“Maybe not,” Lance hummed, “but if you want, I know a place where there are tons of flowers. Really nice purple ones too. You’d love it there-” he broke off with a laugh as Keith jabbed him in the side lightly.

 

“That’s not funny.” 

 

“Too soon?” Lance chuckled, and Keith grunted in reply, reaching his arm around Lance’s middle and pulling him in closer. Lance was practically buzzing, and let his heart speak true.

 

“But seriously,” he spoke quietly, “I’m really glad you’re here.”

 

Keith lifted his head at that, and Lance momentarily forgot how to breathe at having their faces so close.

 

“And why’s that?” he asked. A devious smile spread across Lance’s face as he stared into Keith’s eyes.

 

“I was worried the bed would go back to being small-” he broke off in a fit of giggles as Keith groaned loudly and tried to roll away, but Lance was faster, and grabbed hold of him tightly. Keith didn’t struggle, and allowed himself to be pulled closer into Lance’s chest once again, grumbling all the way.

 

“I should have known,” he was saying, and Lance sighed happily. 

 

“No really,” his tone was more serious this time, and Keith lifted his head to stare at him. “I couldn’t sleep at all. It felt weird being alone after having you stuck to me twenty-four seven. It was too quiet without your snoring. I felt like I was going insane.”

 

“I don’t snore!” Keith replied indignantly, and Lance raised an eyebrow.

 

“Do so.”

 

“Do not.”

 

“Wanna bet?”

 

“How would you even prove it?”

 

Lance shrugged.

 

“I’d find a way.”

 

“Well maybe I should just leave and go sleep in my own room,” Keith retorted, and Lance paused, taking the threat seriously. He whined, letting his face nuzzle into Keith’s hair and pulled him in a bit closer.

 

“Don’t….”

 

Keith chuckled, the sound reverberating into Lance’s chest like the content buzzing of bees.

 

“Fine. I guess I’ll stay.”

 

“Pfft, like you had a choice,” Lance scoffed, though visibly relieved, and Keith snorted again. 

 

“Sorry, by the way,” he said after a moment, and Lance raised an eyebrow questioningly.

 

“For what?”

 

“For almost slicing off your hand…”

 

Lance huffed out a light laugh.

 

“We already had this discussion, remember?”

 

Keith sighed against his chest.

 

“I know. It’s just...I don’t know what came over me. It was like my body was acting on it’s own accord, and my head was too slow to react properly.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Lance replied quickly, “apparently those purple hell plants release some sort of toxin that makes Galran’s go insane. You were basically being drugged.”

 

Keith was silent, and Lance could feel him tense against him as he explained what Pidge had told them, but after a moment he exhaled, resigned and accepting.

 

“Typical,” he muttered, and Lance laughed. 

 

“So I’m guessing that’s a no to flowers anytime soon?”

 

Keith chuckled softly.

 

“Not unless you have a death wish.”

 

“Yikes, noted,” he replied, and sighed happily, relaxing into the pillow.

 

They were silent for a while after that, and just when Lance figured Keith had drifted off, his voice sounded out again, barely a whisper.

 

“Lance?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Are we...can you and I-” he paused, searching for the right words. “It’s just, I don’t want this to be the end, you know? I want to...if  _ you _ want to, be together some more. Like, as  _ more _ than friends, or-” he broke off, but Lance had an idea of what he was getting at. His heart swelled at the thought.

 

“Of course,” he replied softly. “We still have to show Haggar our hand holding combat skills, remember? How else are we going to do that if we aren’t together?”

 

Keith didn’t reply, but Lance could tell from the way he nuzzled in closer and squeezed their hands together what his answer was. 

 

“Besides,” he went on softly, “now that I’ve got you again, I don’t think I want to let go anytime soon.”

 

“Maybe we should glue our hands together,” Keith mumbled sleepily into his chest, and Lance beamed. 

 

_ This _ was what he had missed.  _ This _ was  _ his _ Keith, curled up in his arms shamelessly and whispering sweet nothings into the night. Lance let his eyes close as his body relaxed into the mattress, into Keith, feeling entirely at ease. 

 

For the first time since it had happened, Lance found himself grateful that he had touched that flower. It had brought him and Keith closer, literally and figuratively, in a way that Lance hadn’t thought imaginable, and, if given the chance, he would do it all over again.

 

Well...maybe not  _ exactly _ , but he let that feeling of gratitude wash over him and drown out the guilt that had been living in his mind for so long. He let the relief of having Keith in his arms flood through him and drive out the doubts. He let the warmth that Keith provided spread into his heart and light a fire there, vowing to do everything in his power to protect it.

 

And as he felt the tug of sleep pull him deeper into the bed, Lance let a small smile grace his lips as he succumbed to his exhaustion.

 

“Anything for you, space cadet.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has read this and left comments and kudos :) I really appreciate the support!  
> I'm glad this is done, since now I can go back to work on my other fics (yikes, sorry I've been neglecting you), but I just wanted to say thanks again to @marmoraskeith for providing such a wonderful idea for a story. I hope I did it justice.
> 
> If anyone wants to draw art for this then feel free to. I would LOVE to see it, and encourage it wholeheartedly.  
> Hope you enjoyed the fluff, and yes, Keith does forgive everyone the next morning, all the while holding Lance's hand tightly in his own. They spend a week or so on a wonderful vacation, and all that good wholesome stuff..team bonding yada yada. It's good, everyone is good, this story ends happy.
> 
> As a side note, I'll be participating in the Klance Big Bang 2017, and would really love to have someone volunteer to read over my drafts for the piece I'll be writing. I already have some ideas, but since I won't be allowed to post the work for a while, I won't get feedback on it, so any extra pairs of eyes would be great. Or heck, even someone to bounce ideas off of. Feel free to contact me here or on my tumblr @vulpes--vulpes

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a quick thing but I've gotten carried away, so I guess there will be some chapters.  
> Go check out @marmoraskeith on tumblr, they have a bunch of great stuff, and this headcannon of theirs was the most adorable thing! I hope I can do it justice.


End file.
